The ESL (Electronic Sports League) has cut a two-year deal with video game livestreaming platform Hitbox to stream ESL-organized events, starting with the Intel Extreme Masters tournament in Katowice, Poland last weekend.
If you’re following the eSports market, it’s worth noting that the ESL now has long-term broadcast deals in place with both Hitbox and competitors Twitch and Azubu, as well as Yahoo eSports. It’s a significant expansion, though so far only the ESL-Azubu deal includes rights to exclusive ESL content (and it’s yet unclear what that “exclusive content” will be.)
Incidentally, the next big ESL-backed tournament on Hitbox’s docket is Wargaming’s World of Tanks Grand Finals tournament this weekend. Wargaming, you may recall, made a significant investment in Hitbox last year and took a seat on the company’s board.