StimConsul has made eSports history in its 3.5 year representation of Activision Blizzard!
In its multi-year representation of Activision Blizzard throughout the World, in the creation of partnerships and syndication of Overwatch, Call of Duty, Hearthstone, and other brands, StimConsul paved the way for the TV exploitation of e-gaming in Germany, France, the UK, Canada, Italy, Austria, Switzerland and Hungary, Finland and Brazil.
The deal we negotiated in Germany, Austria and Switzerland with Sport1 proved to be a lasting partnership, which has recently been expanded to Belgium, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Czechoslovakia and Sweden, exhibiting the new Overwatch 2, Hearthstone and World of Warcraft premier programs, and led the way to the launch of Sport1's gaming channel eSportsONE.
Activision Blizzard is one of the largest video game publishers and esports organizations in the world ($7.5 Billion USD Net Revenue, peaked at $63 Billion USD Market Capitalization in 2018). Activision Blizzard has a total of eight franchises that have generated more than $1 billion in sales each with a full stable of legendary esports titles such as Overwatch, Call of Duty, Hearthstone, StarCraft, Heroes of the Storm and World of Warcraft.
eSports is becoming a mainstream form of entertainment and is developing quite fast. In the last year StimConsul facilitated groundbreaking esports partnerships between Activision Blizzard and Mediawan in France, Sport1 in Germany, Bell Media/TSN in Canada, YLE in Finland, TV2/IKO Digital in Hungary, 2MG Media/DMAX in Italy, and ESPN in Brazil.
As part of the network’s partnership with Activision Blizzard, TSN platforms deliver live streaming coverage of every OVERWATCH LEAGUE™ game this season, featuring 300+ total matches, highlighted by the inaugural seasons of the Toronto Defiant and Vancouver Titans, the league’s first Canadian expansion franchises.
“We’re thrilled to connect with the passionate, engaged community of esports fans across Canada by showcasing comprehensive live coverage of the OVERWATCH LEAGUE™,” said Shawn Redmond, Vice-President, TSN and Discovery Networks. “We’re proud to deliver an expansive slate of live games from this massively popular worldwide league, as well as unique content across our digital platforms.”
With a total of 20 teams representing major cities across North America, Asia, and Europe, the OVERWATCH LEAGUE™ features top international players competing in the hit Blizzard Entertainment title Overwatch.
As the exclusive linear television partner of the 2019 OVERWATCH LEAGUE™ season in Canada, select matches will be featured on TSN’s television feeds, focusing on the Canadian teams. Toronto Defiant and Vancouver Titans games will also be available for on-demand viewing to TSN subscribers on TSN.ca and the TSN app.
In addition to live coverage of 300+ matches, TSN delivers coverage of the league across its industry-leading digital platforms, including TSN.ca/Esports as well as the network’s official social media accounts: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Snapchat, and DIGITAL SPORTSCENTRE, Canada’s first mobile-optimized daily news show, available exclusively through TSN’s Instagram story.
ESPN has secured, through a partnership with Blizzard , the rights to broadcast two major Overwatch tournaments : Overwatch Contenders South America and the Atlantic Duel will now be broadcast on ESPN Extra and Watch ESPN.
ESPN will now broadcast two of the Overwatch game's major tournaments, in partnership with producer Blizzard Entertainment. The tournament is intended for aspiring players looking to join the Overwatch League. Contenders has eight regions; In each of them, the best teams demonstrate their skills in the two regular annual seasons. Each season includes a qualifying round, a group round and a playoff. The ESPN Extra channel is available through Brazil's subscription services and has much of its programming dedicated to eSports.
Sport1 lands Overwatch League rights for new esports channel!
ESports1 will show all Blizzard properties in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
German commercial broadcaster Sport1 has agreed a wide-ranging rights deal with video game company Blizzard Entertainment for its new pay-TV esports channel.
The two-year agreement, which covers Germany, Austria and Switzerland, will see ESports1 provide live coverage and highlights of Blizzard’s Overwatch League (OWL) franchise competition, including the regular season, play-offs and finals.
The rights package also includes the Hearthstone digital collectible card game and highlights from last year’s Overwatch World Cup, which saw 24 nations compete for the top prize.
“Germany has always been a top market for Blizzard games, and as such it is very exciting to work with Sport1,” said Jamie Pollack, vice president of business development and media rights for Activision Blizzard Esports Leagues. “Being a part of the new channel perfectly aligns with our goal to increase reach and make the Overwatch League and Hearthstone esports more accessible to German fans.”
Sport1 announces esports channel plans
The announcement comes less than a week after the launch of ESports1, which is the first channel in German-speaking regions dedicated to competitive gaming. The 24/7 network will air at least 1,200 hours of national and international esports events this year, along with highlight formats and self-produced magazine shows.
Daniel von Busse, chief operating officer for TV at Sport1, added: “With its strong global positioning as one of the most prestigious developers and marketers of entertainment software, Blizzard Entertainment is an optimal partner for our new channel ESports1.
“With the Overwatch League and Hearthstone esports, as well as highlights from last year’s thrilling Overwatch World Cup, we are offering three premium esports tournament series on ESports1 that will excite and delight many fans.”
