Twitch acquires streaming rights for Overwatch League at a cost of $90 million.
Tonight marks the beginning of the first season of the highly anticipated Overwatch League (OWL). Previously, it was unclear if matches from this record-breaking league would also be aired on the game streaming platform Twitch.tv. However, it has now been confirmed that Twitch.tv has secured the broadcasting rights.
Twitch.tv, which is now owned by Amazon, is investing a staggering $90 million dollars for these rights. The streaming site will be able to air all OWL matches for two years, including playoffs and post-season. This is a huge win for Overwatch developer and publisher Activision Blizzard, as well as OWL fans and Twitch subscribers. This deal will far surpass the reach provided by previously booked partners MLG.com and OverwatchLeague.com.
Armin Zerza, COO of Blizzard Entertainment, expressed his excitement about this partnership in a statement, "Our fans love engaging with content on Twitch, and we wanted a large audience for the first season of the Overwatch League and beyond. That's why this historic partnership is perfect for Activision Blizzard, Twitch, and most importantly, our growing global fanbase."
However, this news comes just in time for the start of the season and is a timely PR boost for the gaming company's risky experiment. Financial experts have even downgraded Activision Blizzard, showing that they are not too confident in the league's successful launch.
To establish the Overwatch League, Blizzard has taken many steps. They built their own arena in Burbank Studios in Los Angeles, where Johnny Carson's Tonight Show used to be recorded. This high-tech e-sports arena can accommodate 450 spectators and will host all matches for the first season. Each team had to pay at least $20 million to participate in the league, despite the lack of experience and uncertainty of its success. This presents an enormous risk for the company.
Blizzard is also transforming the e-sports scene by focusing on a high level of professionalism. Players received health insurance and fixed salaries, as well as being tied to cosmopolitan cities and emphasizing international and regional competition. Traditionally, e-sports teams have mostly competed under their sponsor or brand names (e.g. Ninjas in Pyjamas, Alternate, Samsung, Fanatic, etc.). In contrast, the OWL teams represent specific cities and promote regional competition.
Nate Nanzer, e-sports director at Blizzard, stated, "We hope that these local teams will have home games in a few years' time. There are millions of kids around the world who would love to attend an e-sports tournament and buy merchandise but can't because of the cost of travel. The localized teams will provide a lot of local revenue."
The new league will feature teams such as Boston Uprising, Dallas Fuel, and the Los Angeles Gladiators. These teams will make the e-sports scene more interesting and accessible, particularly for new viewers. Tying the teams to regions also allows for the creation of traditional rivalries, like those seen in baseball and basketball. It remains to be seen if die-hard e-sports fans, who are accustomed to independent teams, will embrace this approach. International teams like London Spitfire and Seoul Dynasty add to the league's diversity and top the bookmakers' favorites list. Unfortunately, no German teams will be competing in the first season due to the exorbitant entry fee.
Blizzard is known for its disruptive approach to established markets. Their past successes in revolutionizing online role-playing games with World of Warcraft, digital card games with Hearthstone, and the shooter genre with Overwatch suggest that they may succeed in the league business as well. Therefore, it wouldn't be surprising if they manage to conquer this market as well. As the popularity of e-sports continues to grow, bookmakers have also taken note and now offer extensive betting markets in this sector, including for the OWL. Major bookmakers such as bet365 and SkyBet have recognized this trend, which isn't expected to end anytime soon.
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