Esports

USA

US sports broadcaster ESPN has made its first long-term commitment to esports through an agreement with games developer Electronic Arts and the NFL American football league to support the EA Sports Madden NFL 18 Championship Series.

Social video platform Twitch has extended an agreement to show the ELeague esports event.

Esports event operator ESL has agreed a new partnership with Facebook that will make the social media platform the exclusive broadcast partner for its two main competitions.

Goal, the football news website operated by digital sports media company Perform, has acquired live-streaming rights to the inaugural edition of the eFootball League.

Social video platform Twitch has sealed a rights deal with the Overwatch League to show the next two seasons of the esports competition.

Internet company Google has invested in Chinese esports platform Chushou in a move designed to enhance its presence in a market where its search engine is not accessible.

Fifa, football’s global governing body, has invited media companies to register their interest in showing coverage of the EA Sports Fifa18 Global Series and the Road to the Fifa eWorld Cup 2018 qualification events.

The Ginx Esports TV channel has secured a carriage deal in Greece with national pay-television broadcaster Cosmote TV.

The Ginx Esports TV channel has agreed a carriage deal in Italy with pay-television broadcaster Sky Italia.

French web content specialist group Webedia has announced the launch of an esports television channel which it claims will be the first of its kind in France.

Interactive entertainment company Activision Blizzard has entered into a rights partnership with French production and distribution company Groupe AB.

Sports data and technology company Genius Sports has agreed a partnership with computer festival DreamHack, which organises esports events.

The Lagardère Sports agency has made its first move into the esports media-rights sector by agreeing a deal to distribute rights for the new Counter-Strike Blast Pro Series.

New Swiss pay-television channel MySports will launch a new weekly esports magazine programme later this month.

USA

US subscription video-on-demand service Hulu is to expand its sports coverage into the esports market after agreeing a development and production deal with the ESL organisation.

Video game developer Hi-Rez Studios and the World Esports Association have agreed a rights partnership with social media platform Facebook for new esports competition the Paladins Premier League.

Sports and betting-related services company Sportradar has agreed a deal to provide audio-visual streams and transmissions for all matches played in competitions held by esports organisation Fortuna.

Sports and betting-related services company Sportradar has struck a deal to distribute the audiovisual streams and data from all upcoming competitions provided by esports platform PvPro.