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Tag: eSports league

  • Esports Premier League 2021 hits one million registrations

    Esports Premier League 2021 hits one million registrations

    Mumbai: The inaugural edition of the nation-wide Esports league, Esports Premier League (ESPL) 2021 has seen an unprecedented response among the gaming community with massive one million registrations and has just concluded the last user registration phase. The registrations for the event went live on June 16.

    Due to COVID-19 pandemic, the first season of the league is being hosted virtually for two and a half months. ESPL 2021, which has Infinix smartphone as the presenting sponsor, is being played under the aegis of a gamer-centric campaign #ESPLGameSeFame.

    India’s first-ever franchise-based Esports league for Free Fire, ESPL, is preparing for the second level of the tournament. Out of the more than one million registered users, about the top 400 players from 88 teams will move to the second level, where the top eight invited teams of India join the mix. This will take the total number of teams to 96 teams in the level. These teams will be divided into eight groups of 12 each to compete for the top eight spots. The top eight teams will represent the eight regions of ESPL. At the end of the second level, ESPL will have the best Free Fire teams from India.

    “The astounding figures we have for the registration numbers of ESPL 2021 itself validate our position in the Esports sector,” ESPL director Vishwalok Nath said. “We are extremely happy by this overwhelming response to the inaugural edition of India’s first-ever franchise-based Esports league. What these amazing numbers tell us is that Esports is set to create history in India — both in terms of its growth as well as the interest, it is rapidly garnering among India’s youth. Competitive Esports events like the ESPL are setting the bar very high and propelling the industry to greater heights. The second phase of the league has all the action and current scenario working as a catalyst for our league, so be assured of a rocking & entertaining season.”

    The Live action will be available to watch on Disney+ Hotstar, Free Fire official streaming platform Booyah and Malayalam OTT platform Koode alongside official YouTube and Facebook channels of India Today and Aaj Tak and its websites.

  • DSport partners with Nodwin for eSports league’s maiden broadcast in India

    MUMBAI: DSport, a sports TV channel launched by Discovery Communications India, has partnered with Nodwin Gaming to showcase the flagship esports tournament in the country – ESL India Premiership. As a part of the partnership, DSportwill telecast 90 minutes of action everyday (2 :30 – 4:00pm) starting Wednesday, 19 July, and will continue until December 2017. eSports has revolutionized the concept of sports and recently has been added as a medal event in the 2022 Asian Games.

    “We are excited to showcase eSports for the first time on television in India. The 90 minutes of intense gaming broadcast daily on DSport, for over six months, will catapult the popularity of eSports further in the country,” said Discovery Communications India senior VP & GM Karan Bajaj.

    Nodwin Gaming MD Akshat Rathee said, “eSports is one of the fastest growing sports in the country and this broadcast of the ESL India Premiership on DSport is sure to elevate their popularity to a new level. eSports has been already announced as a medal event for the 2022 Asian Games and will also hopefully make it to the 2024 Olympics, so we hope this initiative will act as a first step towards bringing glory to the country on global multi-sports platforms.”

    As a part of the ESL India Premiership 2017, DSport will telecast ‘Counter Strike: Global Offensive’ competition which will see participation from over 10,000 gamers from the South Asian region fighting for US$100,000 prize money. The Fall Season Finale of the tournament will take place in Hyderabad while the Winter Season Finale will be held in the national capital, Delhi.

    ESL India is a partnership between Germany based Turtle Entertainment’s Electronic Sports League (ESL) and India’s first-ever gaming solutions company, Nodwin Gaming. The Electronics Sports League (ESL, formerly ESPL) is the oldest and the largest eSports company in the world; globally getting gamers together, and organizing events like ESL One, IEM, Pro League and ESL National Championships.

    Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is one of the most popular multiplayer games in the esports scene. The game is also one to the top five most viewed video games online. India is no stranger to the CS:GO scene, the game has captured the imagination of lakhs of gamers in the country and the number continues to grow daily.

  • Turner Broadcasting & WME | IMG partner to create eSports League

    Turner Broadcasting & WME | IMG partner to create eSports League

    MUMBAI: Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. and WME | IMG have formed a new strategic partnership to create an eSports competitive gaming league.

     

    Through the venture, Turner and WME | IMG will deliver competitive gaming events for all platforms including premium live fan experiences, televised coverage airing exclusively on TBS and extensive, high quality live digital event coverage and content extensions. Turner Studios in Atlanta will become the East Coast epicenter for eSports competitive gaming, serving as the headquarters for the new league and primary operations facility for the live gaming experience.

     

    Video game publisher Valve Corporation’s Counter-Strike: Global Offensive will be the featured game during the league’s first season. Turner Sports will produce the eSports competitions – in association with WME | IMG – and facilitate ad sales and sponsorship opportunities surrounding the new league.

     

    All aspects of the eSports league – including the live event experience – will be jointly managed by Turner Broadcasting and WME | IMG, with Turner Studios providing a state-of-the-art facility specifically created to showcase the live gaming competitions. Slated to begin in 2016, the televised presentation of the competitive gaming events will feature 10 consecutive weeks of programming twice per year – the most extensive commitment to televised eSports programming to date – airing Friday nights on TBS.

     

    In 2016, eSports tournaments will be televised twice per year with each 10-week period including a regular season, playoffs and championship. Both tournaments will include eSports teams facing off in competition while playing Valve’s Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.

     

    Additionally, digital coverage will include live daily competitive gaming content distributed Tuesday through Friday during each tournament week, as well as a live digital companion experience on Friday nights offered simultaneously with the TBS presentation. Digital content will also include behind-the-scenes event coverage and profiles on the eSports teams and competitors, with additional eSports coverage available through Bleacher Report’s top-rated Team Stream App.

     

    “eSports is one of the fastest growing entertainment genres among young adults around the world. We’re looking forward to creating a tremendous live event atmosphere, leveraging the infrastructure and expertise within Turner Studios, and presenting the competitions in an innovative way throughout our portfolio of leading brands,” said Turner Sports president Lenny Daniels.

     

    “We are proud to establish a leadership position in this rapidly growing arena, which I see as a tent pole for the next chapter of TBS. The level of rabid fandom and engagement that we see in this world is extraordinary and we aim to up the experience for both the players and fans alike and provide a cutting-edge live experience on both linear and digital TBS platforms,” said Turner chief creative officer and TBS and TNT president Kevin Reilly.

     

    “The eSports environment is purpose-built for a generation that consumes content across multiple platforms and seeks unique live experiences. We’re proud to be partnering with Turner to give competitive gaming a first-of-its-kind platform to meet the needs of the industry’s growing fan base and attract new audiences around the world,” added WME | IMG chief content officer Mark Shapiro. 

     

    “WME | IMG is constantly seeking new ways to help fans enjoy the eSports they love and attract more fans to the sport. This venture is a great example of our commitment to growing the eSports industry, and Turner is the perfect partner to make this a reality. We’ve so enjoyed working with Valve and the teams through this endeavor, and we’re excited for the future,” said WME | IMG’s eSports division head Tobias Sherman.

     

    eSports is a term used to refer to organized, multiplayer video gaming competitions that are rapidly expanding in popularity on a global scale. According to data provided by NewZoo, global eSports viewership is more than 226 million people with the total expected to climb to 323 million by 2018. 

     

    The addition of eSports competitive gaming is one of many live events set to air on TBS in early 2016. The network’s Spring slate will also feature the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship Final Four, including TBS’s first-ever telecast of the National Championship game, as well as the iHeartRadio Music Awards. TBS’s upcoming live event programming will also include the first-ever Live Nation Music Awards – co-executive produced with IMG – in June and Turner Sports’ annual coverage of the Major League Baseball Postseason in October.