Game developer, Blizzard Entertainment and German TV broadcaster, Sport1 have announced a multi-year partnership. Sport1 has obtained exclusive TV rights for live coverage of Blizzard’s Overwatch League (OWL) in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
Jamie Pollack, Vice President of Business Development at Activision Blizzard welcomed Sport1 to the partnership: “Germany has always been a top market for Blizzard games, and as such, it is very exciting to work with Sport1. being a part of the new channel perfectly aligns with our goal to increase reach and make the Overwatch League and Hearthstone esports more accessible to German fans.”
Sport1 has introduced their independent esports channel, Esports1 for German-speaking esports fans. A minimum of 1,200 hours of competitive video gaming will be aired on the channel comprised of both domestic and international competition.
Daniel von Busse, Chief Operating Officer at Sport1, also expressed his thoughts on the fresh-faced esports channel and the partnership with Blizzard: “with its strong global positioning as one of the most prestigious developers and marketers of entertainment software, Blizzard Entertainment is an optimal partner for our new channel ESports1. With the Overwatch League and Hearthstone esports, as well as highlights from last year’s thrilling Overwatch World Cup, we are offering three premium esports tournament series on ESports1 that will excite and delight many fans.”
Esports Insider says: This is good news for both Activision Blizzard and Sport1. Whilst Blizzard has recently been somewhat under the microscope with a number of key executives leaving, it’s good to see a positive piece of news come out around the company. The German speaking audience will be enamoured to hear that OWL action is coming to Sport1, although the country does not yet have a franchise in its own right. With the Overwatch League second season finally recommencing very shortly, this may not be the last announcement we see.