# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
With every new tournament and big media partnership, competitive video gaming continues to surge in popularity. But Tobias Sherman thinks the pastime known as "eSports" has yet to reach the next level.

Sherman, global head of eSports at WME | IMG, says the industry met "explosive growth," but still needs to attract new fans and tell more stories about why viewers should watch these players compete.

Enter ELeague, a competitive video gaming league making its prime time debut on TBS Friday night, part of a partnership between WME | IMG and Turner Broadcasting's sports division.

"It's groundbreaking, but it's great in the sense that it's going to push the industry forward," said Sherman in an interview.

ELeague features 24 teams competing in the video game Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, a first-person shooter where two teams of five battle in a series of competitive matches. Viewers can watch live and on-demand matches through streaming service Twitch or ELeague's website, while TBS will host a tournament showcase every Friday night.

"As we see the content landscape evolving industry wide, people insist on being able to consume content on any device, whether that be linear, social, digital," said Craig Barry, Turner Sports executive vice president and chief content officer.

While ELeague maintains the online streaming origins where eSports took off, there's a heavier broadcast influence. Turner built a 10,000-square-foot arena at its studios in Atlanta to host the 10-week season. It boasts 26 cameras, including one that can capture 360-degree views of the floor.

Barry says ELeague presents a chance to follow traditional sports coverage in giving individuals a greater share of the spotlight. "There was a huge opportunity to be able to tell deeper stories, to create narratives around these individual players," he says. "In the past, it's always about the teams, the publishers and these big tournaments."

The league arrives as eSports continues to blossom. The market is valued at $747 million, according to SuperData Research. Meanwhile, a separate survey from Newzoo finds the number of consumers worldwide who are aware of eSports will top 1 billion this year.

Along with a massive arena, teams will play each week in front of a live audience. "The studio lends itself to a real energy that's going to translate to the broadcast," says Sherman. "It feels better for the players as well. Having people cheer for them while they're playing is going to make a big difference."

Turner is among several big names making a push into competitive games, including ESPN and Yahoo, which both launched sites focused on eSports coverage. Sherman says maintaining an authentic experience is key to attracting competitive gaming's biggest fans.

"We really stripped it down to what was most important, which is the competition and featuring it the right way," he says.
Follow Brett Molina on Twitter: @brettmolina23.
Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/1VlYcPF

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
With every new tournament and big media partnership, competitive video gaming continues to surge in popularity. But Tobias Sherman thinks the pastime known as "eSports" has yet to reach the next level. Sherman, global head of eSports at WME | IMG, says the industry met "explosive growth," but still needs to attract new fans and tell more stories about why viewers should watch these players compete.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
"Formula One is undergoing a transition period," says Julian Tan, Head of Digital at F1 Esports, speaking at an esports seminar at Gfinity in London - the only dedicated esports Arena in the UK. "One of our core initiatives at the moment is esports - a key way to reach out to a young, savvy demographic that F1 hasn't traditionally been speaking to. It's a really interesting way to grow F1," Tan added.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Esports News: LoL, Dota 2, Hearthstone - ESPN

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
"Formula One is undergoing a transition period," says Julian Tan, Head of Digital at F1 Esports, speaking at an esports seminar at Gfinity in London - the only dedicated esports Arena in the UK. "One of our core initiatives at the moment is esports - a key way to reach out to a young, savvy demographic that F1 hasn't traditionally been speaking to.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
It's 2005 and the biggest video game competition in America is about to have the biggest moment in its history. Angel Munoz, who founded the Cyberathlete Professional League (CPL) in 1997, is smiling, walking through a crowd of about a thousand people packed into the Nokia Theatre at Times Square in New York City and glad-handing.

"This is the culmination of many dreams that we had of professional gaming," he says.

The event was streamed in full online, but it also aired as a 30-minute special, titled From Game to Fame , on MTV. Airing the evening of Saturday, Nov. 26, 2005, four days after Wendel won the biggest title of his impressive decadelong career, it was the first time live esports footage hit American television outside a news segment.

Munoz, of course, knew that a 30-minute time slot during MTV's cringeworthy GameORZ Week wouldn't change things overnight. But it was a foot in the door, a chance to show that esports content could work on television. That, he believed, was all he needed. It had already happened in South Korea, after all. StarCraft matches first aired on television there in 1999, and by 2005, there were two cable channels entirely dedicated to broadcasting esports leagues and content built around the competitions.

"This is the culmination of many dreams that we had of professional gaming."

The dream never materialized. Munoz quit the league two years later as it was beset with controversy over unpaid prizes. He never had a bigger moment than the one that night in Times Square. In the following years, many tried to succeed where Munoz failed in bringing competitive video games to the small screen in a variety of formats.

None survived.

Fast-forward to 2016. Esports is one of the most talked-about industries in media and investment circles. Pro gaming will be a $465 million industry by 2017 and could top $1 billion by 2019, to market research firm Newzoo, which compares its potential audience to that of ice hockey or even American football. Television executives have noticed. Major networks, including ESPN and Turner, are taking tentative steps into the esports world. Esports is too big for a one-off show, and major players are treating it that way. But can they avoid the mistakes of the past?

A history of failure

In the mid-2000s, television wasn't just a dream for people like Munoz. It seemed like a necessity. Audiences were growing for events like the Olympic-styled World Cyber Games and Electronic Sports World Cup, which featured a wide variety of esports titles and teams from hundreds of countries worldwide. In the United States, the popularity of Major League Gaming surged during the heyday of . But the CPL, the gold standard of esports competition since this century began, was dying, unable to build a viable business model. There was a growing audience for esports, but no one knew how to make money doing it. Online video seemed like a potential solution, considering the close ties video games had with the Internet, but it was expensive and untested, and advertisers didn't understand the medium. Television looked like the only way to leverage the fanbase.

He received a bill for the bandwidth two weeks later: $18,000. "I cried that day," Graham said. "Holy shit, I cried that day."

It wasn't just the gaping hole in his pocketbook. Whenever he tried to sell streaming in business meetings, he was told that it wasn't "economically viable," he said. They'd tell him, "You can't build a business off of this."

So the World Series of Video Games (WSVG) stepped into the void left by the CPL-signing on a huge title sponsor in Intel-and doubled down on television content. After airing another MTV special in 2006, the company signed deals to release hours of television content surrounding its 2006 grand finals on a pair of small cable channels that included CSTV, which later became the CBS Sports Network. But midway through 2007, the WSVG closed its doors, citing the massive costs of producing large events and television content.

Fans still suffer from an inferiority complex, a feeling that esports won't feel real until it is somehow legitimized by an appearance on television.

Major League Gaming followed a similar path, producing seven hourlong episodes for the USA Network, at the time the largest cable network, on Saturday mornings. It produced a second season in 2007 for the gamer-centric channel G4, but soon realized it could grow a following more quickly and more cheaply using streaming video. It left TV behind.

Those events were all just prologues to the biggest TV failure in esports history. In 2007, the Championship Gaming Series ( CGS), backed by satellite broadcast provider DirecTV, launched the biggest league in esports history at the time. It bought up much of the existing esports infrastructure in America, hired much of its top talent, and created a sports-style league. It was the centerpiece of what DirecTV hoped would be the next big sports media property. The product, however, ultimately pandered to a mainstream audience while alienating core esports fans, leading to an epic collapse in 2008. Everything was bet on the CGS. And when it failed, the American esports infrastructure was gutted. It took half a decade to recover.

No one had the patience-or capital-to build an audience long-term through television. With video streaming becoming more cost effective in 2007 and beyond, esports stayed online and away from the living room.

But that indelible centerpiece of Americana still remains a dream for many in the industry. Fans still suffer from an inferiority complex, a feeling that esports won't feel real until it is somehow legitimized by an appearance on television. The medium still represents an opportunity to showcase a growing industry to a wider audience, and esports is better equipped to sell itself now that in-house production levels have dramatically increased.

Why TV now?

Esports has reached an inflection point. It's growing fast, and at the same time, the desperation of stiff television executives has finally reached a fever pitch.

Television may not represent the same thing for current esports that it did for forebears like Munoz. But ever since people first started winning cash playing video games, they've talked about bringing esports to the "mainstream," and that hasn't changed as esports grows into a bigger industry. Succeeding on television could do just that, and now may be the right time to strike. Production values are closer than ever to what's expected of a professional sports broadcast. Video games are also more socially acceptable. The kids who grew up playing games, who can understand the skill behind competition, now have paychecks and children of their own.

Esports, meanwhile, has an audience problem. Most people spectating also play the game they watch. There aren't many die-hard fans who initially become interested as spectators. That's quite different from sports like American football, which boasts a massive audience of people who have never even thrown a pass.

Investing in esports may be a way to stave off television's slow death, attracting viewers who may have previously dismissed the medium.

The most popular esport is League of Legends , and that's in large part because it's the most popular game, with over 67 million active players each month. developer has built a sportslike league structure around its title to drive spectator engagement, and it's certainly helped. to market research firm Newzoo, 40 percent of esports spectators don't actually play the games they watch-but that's only a start to building a self-sustaining media property. Riot Games still its esports league at a loss.

Perhaps television, with its potential to reach a different audience, may change that. In May, Turner will launch its ELEAGUE: two 10-week Counter-Strike: Global Offensive seasons with live Friday night matches broadcast on TBS. As Shaquille O'Neal told the crowd at the Game Awards in December, the league will feature production values reflective of other major traditional American sports leagues, and this time around, there's reason to believe that Turner execs are getting things right.

It's partnering with global talent agency WME-IMG, which has deep roots in esports and the experience and cachet to pull off a league. Turner recognizes that ELEAGUE must produce a product that attracts the core esports audience to succeed. It's bringing in experienced hosts and doesn't plan to fundamentally change the viewing experience for hardcore fans. Perhaps most importantly, many of the games will also be streamed online.

Turning the tables

The line between traditional television and Internet broadcasting becomes more and more blurred with every passing year. And the fact is that television may need esports more than the other way around today.

Services like Netflix and Hulu have moved television to the Internet, where esports thrives. The race to compete with those services has moved more network and cable television away from the living room. Networks are now racing to produce the best content to keep viewers attached to their own proprietary platforms. Sports are endlessly renewable, creating a new and unique story every season.

Plus, sports have another big advantage over original television programming: It only has value when watched live, where advertisers can nearly guarantee viewers won't escape by hitting fast-forward on their TiVos or pirating the content online. That's made sports incredibly valuable on television. ESPN pays somewhere between $3 and $5 billion for media rights to major sports leagues every year . This spending has also made it the largest network on cable.

But while sports are a renewable resource, they're very tight ecosystems. Esports is an exciting prospect precisely because it offers a network the chance to get into a new sports franchise at the ground floor, with an entirely new audience, and as an emerging industry, it's relatively cheap to begin.

If Turner leverages ELEAGUE to become the primary broadcaster for Counter-Strike and other potential esports titles, the return could be immense: It could control the next big media property.
Illustration by J. Longo

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The complicated past (and future) of esports on TV - The Kernel

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
It's 2005 and the biggest video game competition in America is about to have the biggest moment in its history. Angel Munoz, who founded the Cyberathlete Professional League (CPL) in 1997, is smiling, walking through a crowd of about a thousand people packed into the Nokia Theatre at Times Square in New York City and glad-handing.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
When TBS premieres its inaugural eSports competition on May 27, advertisers and programmers will be watching closely to see if the nascent world of organized multiplayer video gaming is ready to become a television juggernaut.

The 10-week championship series, which will be televised and streamed live from Turner Studios in Atlanta, kicks off the network's E-League, a pro league formed by Turner Sports and partner global talent management and events firm WME/IMG. But as with any emerging genre that suddenly finds itself in the spotlight, E-League will have to find the right balance between achieving scale and retaining its core audience of digitally forward young men. The test will be to see if TBS' sports fans who watch March Madness and Major League Baseball will tune in Fridays from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. to see E-League's first-shooter game Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Coverage of the games also will be streamed on Bleacher Report's Team Stream app.

Craig Barry, Turner Sports evp of production and chief content officer, is cognizant of the tightrope the network has to walk. "[We understand] our obligation to the hard-core fan," he said, noting that TBS will craft storylines around the gamers, much like NBC's Olympic athlete profiles, to clue in casual fans. "Once you have that emotional connection, you open the door for a wider audience."

Some media buyers, however, wonder whether the games will translate well to TV. "[Gamers] kind of developed their own ecosystem," explained Jason Maltby, director of national broadcast TV, MindShare. "It will be very interesting to see if you can get somebody who's grown-up finding these events in the digital space to come back to a linear environment."

There's no question that video sports streaming is big business on a global scale. There were 112 major eSports events around the world that generated over $20 million in ticket sales and handed out $61 million in total prize money. The 2015 League of Legends World Championship drew 36 million unique viewers on Twitch and other streams around the globe. Revenues from advertising, sponsorships, merchandise and ticket sales are projected to reach $463 million in 2016, and surpass $1 billion by 2019, according to Newzoo.

Online gaming has had endemic brands like Intel, Logitech and computer maker Asus sign on, but a wider swath of marketers is also placing big bets, including smartphone maker HTC, which has sponsored a trio of North American teams with custom-engraved phones.

Turner's push into eSports is just the latest move into TV for the genre. Last year, ESPN2 attempted to get into eSports by airing a college competition called Heroes of the Dorm, riffing off Blizzard's Heroes of the Storm, but the play on Heroes confused both viewers and its own broadcasters. The event barely registered among viewers, scoring a 0.1 Nielsen rating, while Fox Sports' Colin Cowherd, who was at ESPN at the time, ranted that he would rather quit his job than cover an eSports tournament.

But ESPN2 isn't throwing in the towel. The collegiate tournament plans to broadcast Heroes' Grand Finals on April 10. Early coverage will stream in March on ESPN3, Twitch and YouTube. Advertisers for the competition have not been announced.

"You can't be a marketer today and not see what's happening," said Dave Rosenberg, chief strategic officer for GMR Marketing, which last year launched a dedicated eSports practice.

Getting a brand's message in front of an eSports audience isn't as simple as buying a TV spot. "Advertisers need to be open to a less traditional approach of integrating their brand into the actual content," explained Turner Sports' Craig Barry. Here, some tips on how to score points:

Do it yourself

Rather than simply sponsor tournaments, brands like Red Bull and Intel have created their own, which shows gamers they're truly invested in this space. "Intel is probably the biggest eSports brand," said Mathieu Lacrouts, founder, CEO of Paris-based eSports ad agency Hurrah.

Prove your value

Find out the brand value that you want to talk about that makes sense to the gaming audience. "You've got to find which one of those actually layers into the eSports environment," said GMR's Dave Rosenberg. For example, Comcast touched on gamers' need for strong Internet connections to market its broadband service.

Treat pro gamers like influencers

Between wearing a logo on their T-shirt to doing content on their livestreams between games, developing a relationship with gamers like Rooster Teeth or TheSyndicateProject adds credibility to your brand. "This community knows that this is what is keeping these guys lights on," said Raymonde Brillantes-Green, vp, group director of media, Digitas.

No poseurs

Gamers aren't stupid. They can easily sniff out brands that don't understand this space and know when they're being pandered to. "I would really stress education," said Alex Fletcher, founder, CEO, Entiva Group. Brands that don't heed this warning will get roasted for it too. "They're not going to be afraid to express their opinion," added Brillantes-Green.

This story first appeared in the Feb. 8 issue of Adweek magazine. Click here to subscribe.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
As eSports Grows Online, TV Networks Like TBS and ESPN Are Hoping to Cash In

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
When TBS premieres its inaugural eSports competition on May 27, advertisers and programmers will be watching closely to see if the nascent world of organized multiplayer video gaming is ready to become a television juggernaut.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
ESL is happy to announce the launch of the world's first 24/7 esports TV channel: esportsTV! With the aim of bringing the very best of esports to fans around the world, the launch of esportsTV represents ESL's ongoing commitment to increasing content accessibility for the esports community worldwide, and will operate alongside existing ESL partnerships with Twitch, Azubu, Hitbox and Yahoo.

The channel is set to launch in May 2016 followed by the broadcast of ESL's competitions and tournaments on parent company MTG's Viasat platforms, and ESL and MTG are already in talks with other TV distributors and platform operators around the world. With this, ESL's current audience of over 100 million digital viewers will soon expand even further, and each year's over 2,000 hours of live gaming and esports content will be able to reach more territories than ever before in order to accommodate the 2 billion gamers and 250 million esports fans that the industry will have by the end of next year.

MTG will also be distributing esportsTV content on its Nordic and Baltic satellite platforms. The new 24/7 esports channel will feature broadcasts of all of ESL's biggest events including ESL One, Intel Extreme Masters as well as Pro League competitions, and will enable partnerships with local linear and digital broadcasters and distributors and thus better cater to local audiences' esports content needs.

MD of ESL Ralf Reichert said of the channel's inception:
"We have always dreamt of making esports the world's most popular sport, and it's the opportunities like this one that bring us one step closer to making that dream come true. Bringing new and existing content to more screens worldwide is key to further accelerating the growth and popularity of esports, and we're on a mission to reach every gamer in the world."
Meanwhile, Arnd Benninghoff, CEO of MTGx, and Peter Nørrelund, CEO of MTG Sport, said of the introduction of esportsTV:
"This is fantastic because it will bring esports to an even broader global audience. Esports is a global sport played all year round so there is so much content to share. The channel is all about building awareness and growing the gaming community and fanbase. We have seen an explosion of interest in esports and we want to make more and more content available on as many screens as possible."
Stay tuned to the official ESL Facebook and Twitter for all the latest updates about esportsTV!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The world's first 24/7 esports TV channel is here!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
ESL is happy to announce the launch of the world's first 24/7 esports TV channel: esportsTV! With the aim of bringing the very best of esports to fans around the world, the launch of esportsTV represents ESL's ongoing commitment to increasing content accessibility for the esports community worldwide, and will operate alongside existing ESL partnerships with Twitch, Azubu, Hitbox and Yahoo.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Ten years ago, in the early days of competitive video gaming, MTV, USA Network, DirecTV and others started televising top-tier matches.

The idea flopped - the contests were trendy, but not yet a megatrend.

On Friday nights starting in 2016, eSports athletes will compete live in the authorities-versus-terrorists shooting game "Counter-Strike: Global Offensive," through a partnership between Turner Broadcasting System Inc.'s TBS and talent agency William Morris Endeavor's IMG sports and media division. The programming, announced Wednesday, will feature a pair of 10-week seasons. Dates were not announced.

"The level of investment is unlike anything that this sport has seen," said Turner Sports President Lenny Daniels. "The way we treat players will be on par with the way we treat [TV analyst and former NBA star] Charles Barkley. We want to upgrade the whole sport." Daniels didn't talk numbers.

ESports will become an important part of a revamped TBS, network President Kevin Reilly said in a prepared statement.

Analysts say television and gaming have changed significantly over just the last three years, justifying what Turner and WME/IMG called the "the most extensive commitment to televised eSports programming."

Van Dreunen, who's fielding a growing number of inquiries from advertisers and media companies, said several factors make the industry fit for American TV again.

Every weekend, millions of people watch pro matches on streaming video service Twitch, which helped turn video games into a spectator sport. Fans spend as much as $200 a weekend to sell out eSports championship venues such as Staples Center and Madison Square Garden. There, event promoters woo advertisers that covet the young consumers who dominate the gaming audience.

Neal Pilson is a skeptic. A sports media consultant who was involved in the USA Network deal in 2006, he said TV is the wrong medium for the sport. Case in point: G4, a gaming channel that NBCUniversal shut down in December after years of weak ratings.

"Audiences, advertisers and costs all militate against traditional television, and all focus toward [online] carriage," he said.

But being on TV is a huge mark of validation for game publishers, analysts said. They're also confident that it'll introduce console and PC games to slightly older people who might already be playing smartphone games but don't know about Twitch.

Advertising on Twitch and other services is rising. But tournament organizers and advertisers turn wide-eyed when discussing TV. Online video ad spending is only a tenth of TV ad revenue, and the huge TV hauls could yield bigger salaries for players and better organized leagues.

Turner, owned by Time Warner Inc., and WME/IMG began discussions a year ago. WME/IMG represents players and teams in eSports. The companies met and dined with gaming team owners three weeks ago in Atlanta.

"They want to be recognized," Daniels said about what he learned. "They want people to understand what they do and how they do it."

Forming a new league allows for innovation on presentation, where the limits of Twitch, YouTube and other services have created a "glass ceiling," Sherman said.

Sundance DiGiovanni, chief executive of eSports organizer Major League Gaming, said a decade ago he was pitching TV networks. It's now a seller's market. Though his experiment with USA Network wasn't a huge success, he's grown more receptive to inquiries because "TV can elevate the experience" when well-planned.

Sports giant ESPN aired a college tournament for "Heroes of the Storm" in April, drawing a tiny 0.1 Nielsen rating on ESPN 2 but nearly 1 million viewers on its websites, apps and Twitch for the championship. ESPN said experimentation would continue: "The championship aired on a highly competitive night of programming, and we are pleased with the strategic goals of delivering the event."

Several other networks are eyeing eSports, including NBC Sports Group, which said it's monitoring "this emerging category."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Competitive video gaming is set to return to TV in 2016

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Ten years ago, in the early days of competitive video gaming, MTV, USA Network, DirecTV and others started televising top-tier matches. The idea flopped - the contests were trendy, but not yet a megatrend.