What Happened
eSports have been receiving increasing attention from mainstream media lately. Turner Broadcasting announced in September its plan to air eSports tournament on TBS during prime time this year, and now ESPN, the leading cable channel in sports, is also getting into the eSports game by launching a brand new vertical to cover competitive gaming. The Disney-owned network has launched a dedicated section on ESPN.com to cover eSports news, videos, and profiles about influential members from the eSports community. Plus, a new Twitter handle @ESPN_Esports is also created to support the new vertical.
What Brands Need To Do
Over the past few years, esports have grown into a massive media platform that attracts hundreds of millions of spectators and generates billions of dollars. This new ESPN vertical shows how serious eSports have become in today’s media landscape. Previously, early-moving brands like Coca-Cola and Geico have been sponsoring esports events to reach their staggering number of viewers. Now with ESPN on board, brands will have more platforms to reach the much-coveted demographic of young millennial guys.
Source: Engadget
Header image courtesy of @ESPN_Esports