You'll soon be able to watch Tracer, Reaper, Hanzo and pals in action alongside LeBron James, Tom Brady and Mike Trout thanks to a deal struck between ESPN and Blizzard. Yes, professional Overwatch tournaments are coming to TV.
The multi-year deal covers live broadcasts of Overwatch Leage matches, as well as televised highlights. The deal also covers multiple networks, allowing ESPN owner Disney to run Overwatch content on ESPN 2, ESPN 2, Disney XD, and ABC as well. Although digital streaming is also included, the deal won't impact any existing contracts with gaming-specific platforms such as Twitch.
"We've had an interest and have been watching pretty closely how the first year of the Overwatch League has been progressing, and we're really excited to be a part of this," says ESPN Vice President of Digital Media Programming John Lasker. "Clearly by the way we're going to be covering it starting with the playoffs and the finals this year certainly speaks volumes to our excitement and our enthusiasm overall for esports moving forward." Clearly by the way we're going to be covering it starting with the playoffs and the finals this year certainly speaks volumes to our excitement and our enthusiasm overall for esports moving forward."
They've wasted no time in getting the matches on air. Last night saw the first Overwatch League quarter finals on Disney XD and ESPN 3, with more matches on Friday at 8pm ET and Saturday at 4pm ET. The entire tournament will run until the end of July.
