Every match from season one and two of the Overwatch League will be
broadcast live on Twitch
Upcoming innovative new viewership reward system announced for fans
who watch and engage with the Overwatch League on Twitch
IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Today the Overwatch League™ and social video service Twitch
announced a historic esports media-rights partnership, ensuring that
every match of the world's first major global city-based esports league
will be readily available to fans across the globe. The first match of
the Overwatch League's inaugural season goes live on Twitch this
Wednesday, January 10, on Twitch.tv/overwatchleague.
Fans of professional Overwatch have been eagerly anticipating a seamless
Overwatch League viewing experience. This two-year deal, which
encompasses the entirety of the league's first two seasons, makes that a
reality. With the exception of China, Twitch will be the exclusive
worldwide third-party digital provider for Overwatch League
regular-season, playoffs, and championship matches, with streams in English,
Korean,
and French.
The Overwatch League and Twitch also are developing innovative rewards
for fans, which will bestow the league's most steadfast viewers with
Overwatch League in-game items. More details about content and
additional rewards for the biggest fans, including some content that
will be exclusive for a period of time, as well as Cheering
with Overwatch League Cheermotes,
will be announced as they become available.
"Our fans love to engage with content on Twitch, and we wanted to drive
significant viewership of the Overwatch League in its inaugural season
and beyond," said Armin Zerza, COO of Blizzard Entertainment. "That's
why this historic and ground-breaking partnership is perfectly suited
for Activision Blizzard, for Twitch, and—most importantly—for our
growing global fanbase."
"The Overwatch League is making a major impact on esports by reshaping
the industry with city-based teams," said Kevin Lin, COO of Twitch.
"Given Overwatch's consistent reign as a top-viewed game by our
community, we look forward to offering their pioneering style of league
play to a large and passionate fanbase that will be able to bond over
not only their favorite plays, but hometown pride."
The first season of the Overwatch League will run until June, with
playoffs and finals scheduled for July. For the inaugural season, all
games will take place at Blizzard
Arena Los Angeles, a state-of-the-art live-event venue in Burbank,
California, custom-renovated for Blizzard Entertainment esports events.
Fans can purchase tickets to attend matches, which will be played each
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. A full schedule
and information
about ticket sales can be found at OverwatchLeague.com,
and all matches can be viewed live at Twitch.tv/overwatchleague
(English-language channel), Twitch.tv/overwatchleague_kr
(Korean-language channel), and Twitch.tv/overwatchleague_fr
(French-language channel).
About the Overwatch League™
The Overwatch League™ is the first major global professional esports
league with city-based teams across Asia, Europe, and North America.
Overwatch® was created by globally acclaimed publisher
Blizzard Entertainment (a division of Activision Blizzard (Nasdaq:
ATVI)), whose iconic franchises have helped lay the foundations and push
the boundaries of professional esports over the last 15 years. The
latest addition to Blizzard's stable of twenty-one #1 games,[1]
Overwatch was built from the ground up for online competition, with
memorable characters and fast-paced action designed for the most
engaging gameplay and spectator experiences. To learn more about the
Overwatch League, visit https://overwatchleague.com/.
About Twitch
Twitch
is the world's leading social video service and community for gamers.
Each day, millions of community members gather to watch, talk, and chat
about shared interests. Twitch's video service is the backbone of both
live and on-demand distribution for all types of content, including the
entire video game ecosystem, the creative arts, vlogging (IRL), and
more. Twitch also runs TwitchCon,
the annual convention for celebrating the Twitch community. For more
information about Twitch, visit our Press
Center, Twitter
feed (#Twitch), and Blog.
© 2018 Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. OVERWATCH, OVERWATCH LEAGUE,
BLIZZARD and BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT are trademarks of Blizzard
Entertainment, Inc.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements: Information in
this press release that involves Blizzard Entertainment's expectations,
plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future, including
statements about the dates, events and features of the Overwatch League,
are forward-looking statements that are not facts and involve a number
of risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause Blizzard
Entertainment's actual future results to differ materially from those
expressed in the forward-looking statements set forth in this release
include unanticipated product delays and other factors identified in the
risk factors sections of Activision Blizzard's most recent annual report
on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. The
forward-looking statements in this release are based upon information
available to Blizzard Entertainment and Activision Blizzard as of the
date of this release, and neither Blizzard Entertainment nor Activision
Blizzard assumes any obligation to update any such forward-looking
statements. Forward-looking statements believed to be true when made may
ultimately prove to be incorrect. These statements are not guarantees of
the future performance of Blizzard Entertainment or Activision Blizzard
and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which
are beyond its control and may cause actual results to differ materially
from current expectations.
[1] Sales and/or downloads, based on internal company records
and reports from key distribution partners
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180109006249/en/
Overwatch League
Mark Van Lommel
949-955-1380 x61147
MVanLommel@overwatchleague.com
or
Twitch
Chase
415-810-0995
chase@twitch.tv
@chasejustchase
Source: Overwatch League
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