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Activision Blizzard is bringing MLG esports to Facebook Live
Earlier this year, Activision Blizzard Inc purchased esports tournament organization Major League Gaming (MLG) for the sum of $47 million, and company CEO Bobby Kotick said at the time that the motivation behind the purchase was to “create the ESPN of esports.” Now it looks like Activision Blizzard is finally revealing its game plan to reach that goal, as the company has announced that it is launching an esports streaming network that will bring live tournament coverage to MLG.tv as well as to Facebook Live.
“We’re building a network dedicated to the thrill of competition and the passion of the fans,” Steve Bornstein, Chairman of Activision Blizzard Media Networks and former CEO of ESPN, said in a statement. “MLG.tv will play a defining role in realizing the full potential of this audience by creating meaningful, memorable and shareable content.”
In addition to HD livestreams of the tournaments themselves, the new esports network will also be getting real-time match statistics and leaderboard information, giving viewers a more in-depth look at the data behind the competitions. The MLG network will be hosted by former pro gamer and longtime MLG announcer Chris Puckett.
Aside from streaming content directly through MLG.tv, Activision Blizzard’s new esports network will also deliver content through Facebook Live, bringing esports to one of the largest internet audiences in the world.
“Esports is an exciting space and continues to be a growing priority for us,” Dan Reed, Head of Global Sports Partnerships for Facebook, said in Activision Blizzard’s release.
“With over 1.6 billion people on the platform and a growing suite of VOD and live streaming products that partners can use to increase engagement, Facebook is uniquely positioned to help esports fans connect around exciting moments and great esports content. We’re thrilled to be working with Activision Blizzard Media Networks, a leader in esports, to help fans enjoy and share a variety of exciting new formats and programming on our platform.”
The new network will kick off on June 10 with the upcoming MLG Anaheim Open tournament in California.
photo credit: IMG_0331 via photopin (license)
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