ESL One Cologne is underway, hosting sixteen of the best Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS: GO) teams, competing for the top honor and a $1 million prize pool. The eSports competition, hosted inside Germany’s largest indoor arena broke audience and viewership records last year, and ESL hopes to break them again by broadcasting over numerous online and offline platforms.
Global television broadcasts include those in Brazil (Globo), Bulgaria (Novo Sport), the Czech Republic (PrimaCool), Finland (YLE), Germany (ProSieben Maxx) and numerous Nordic/Baltic countries (eSports TV). Various online livestreams are being hosted on Twitch, HitBox, Azubu and Yahoo with second screen content available on Snapchat, Facebook Live, Twitter and Instagram. Naturally, fans can also watch directly on ESL’s live platform, which offers highlights, in-game statistics, match schedules and more.
“The way people consume media is constantly evolving. Some are fans of more traditional broadcasts on television, others follow solely on their preferred streaming site whilst a growing number immerse themselves in an array of social media,” said Chris Müller, managing director at ESL TV in a press release. “We try to ensure that our events cater to all types of eSports fans, and so are always working to expand our broadcast horizons. Viewership is on the rise—and that is in part thanks to the evolution of the viewing experience.”
ESL is already the biggest organizer when it comes to supplying CS:GO eSports content on Twitch, with almost 85 million hours in the past 10 months (as of May 2016). ESL’s sister company, Dreamhack, is number two. Combined, they broadcast over half of all CS:GO eSports viewing hours on Twitch, according to Peter Warman, CEO of Newzoo.
The eSports giant recently launched eSports TV, a 24/7 network in Nordic and Baltic countries that will likely spread into the West. “This is something we’re very enthusiastic about,” Nik Adams, senior vice president of sales for ESL told [a]listdaily in an April interview. “We’re working on several ideas that will enable an easy, more natural viewer interaction. Things like second screen applications, for example, could be put into a great use at eSports TV. ESL is a company that’s constantly looking for new ways to connect with its core audience, so things like that are definitely on our radar.”
