The third of Broadcast Sport’s free Virtual Breakfast Clubs takes place on Wednesday 24 March on the virtual conferencing platform, Hopin. BBC Sport, Aurora Media Worldwide, Base Media Cloud and Hashtag United (whose Breaking the Net YouTube documentary is pictured above) are joining Broadcast Sport for the third of its Virtual Breakfast Clubs. The event, […]
Category archives: eSports
Gwangju esports arena adds Ross Video tech
The Gwangju esports arena will be putting several pieces of Ross Video equipment to use The Gwangju esports arena has added Ross Video technology to process the video created on site. The South Korean city has recently built the purpose-built arena as part of a government push to build more dedicated esports venues. Ross Video’s […]
Breakfast Club: The FA and Digital Sports Mgmt on esports moving into the mainstream
Senior content innovations manager at The FA, Damien Cullen, and Jennifer Davidson, senior partnerships manager at Digital Sports Management, told the Broadcast Sport Breakfast Club about esports’ future Speaking at the Broadcast Sport Breakfast Club on Wednesday, FA senior content innovations manager Damien Cullen and Digital Sports Management senior partnerships manager Jennifer Davidson told viewers […]
REGISTER NOW: Facebook and the FA at Broadcast Sport Breakfast Club #2
The second of Broadcast Sport’s Breakfast Clubs takes place on Wednesday 17 February and is focused on social media sports content. Facebook and the FA are joining Broadcast Sport for the second of its Virtual Breakfast Clubs. The event, which is free-to-attend, will take place on Wednesday 17 February (10am- 11:20am) on the virtual conferencing […]
Sportel to skip winter event, launches free webinars to fill gap
Monaco Mediax is hoping to get back to face-to-face later in the year Monaco Mediax, the organiser of the Sportel events, has decided against running the 2021 Winter edition. Sportel Monaco 2020 had been postponed from the autumn to this coming 22-24 February due to the Covid-19 crisis, but will now not go ahead because […]
Formula E launches new esports competition, Formula E Accelerate
Open qualifying for the competition has already started Formula E has launched a new esports competition, Formula E Accelerate, to try and build on the success of its Formula E Race at Home Challenge in support of UNICEF last year. Formula E Accelerate will feature 24 rising stars from the world of motorsports and esports […]
COMMENT: What sports broadcasters have learned in an unprecedented 2020
Greg Burns, head of business development at Arqiva, reveals what sports broadcasters can take on board going into 2021. The sports broadcasting industry was granted a unique opportunity to test and trial new ways of working when producing and distributing content this year as it wrestled with the impact of the global pandemic. It forced […]
Broadcast Sport Tech Innovations Forum: Poll results
The results of a number of sports-related live polls that took place during the Broadcast Sport Tech Innovation Forum 2020 earlier this month. Broadcast Sport ran a number of polls during the Broadcast Sport Tech Innovation Forum 2020 virtual event on 11-12 November, to find out the viewing habits of the attendees and their thoughts […]
WATCH: Day 2 of the Broadcast Sport Tech Innovation Forum 2020
WATCH AGAIN: Sessions with The FA, LaLiga, MyCuJoo, Extreme E, Sail GP, F1, BT Sport, Sky Sports, and more. The Broadcast Sport Tech Innovation Forum 2020 was held on the online conferencing platform Hopin on 11-12 November 2020. It was an exclusive event for the sports production sector where attendees could engage with live sessions, […]
Gfinity wins ePremier League contract for third year running
Registration for the tournament opens next week, with the qualifiers kicking off in January 2021. Esports company Gfinity has been appointed as the tournament operator for the third season of the ePremier League (ePL). Gfinity has operated both previous tournaments, which gives UK-based players the opportunity to win the ePL title for their favourite club […]
COMMENT: How esports is leading broadcast innovation amid Covid-19
Nicolas Estrup, director of product and experience at esports organisation Blast on the pioneering ways esports tournaments have used tech to create content during the pandemic. 2020 has been a turbulent year for everyone, none more so than the sports and entertainment world that has been impacted heavily by the limitations surrounding Covid-19. Esports has […]
SailGP reveals 146,000 players took part in its esports format eSailGP
The esports version of SailGP proved popular at a time when the real-life races are on hold. SailGP has revealed some user engagement stats about its first eSailGP esports season. More than 146,000 unique players participated, and 55,783 individual races took place. The series, which launched at the end of last year, in partnership with […]
F1 and SailGP on building esports gains post-lockdown
Formula One head of digital business initiatives and esports, Julian Tan, and SailGP head of content, Jose Garnes, were speaking at the Broadcast Sport Tech Innovation Forum Esports have made some major gains in 2020, capitalising on the lack of live sport to build their audiences and output. Among the traditional sports to have taken […]
Register now for free-to-attend Broadcast Sport Tech Innovation Forum 2020
The two-day event (11th – 12th November) is free-to-attend and will take place on virtual conferencing platform Hopin. Broadcast Sport is launching its third annual Sport Tech Innovation Forum, bringing together industry leaders to talk about the ever-evolving world of sport production and broadcast. Registration for the free-to-attend two-day Broadcast Sport Tech Innovation Forum is […]
Five sports categories added to the Broadcast Tech Innovation Awards 2020
The deadline for completed entries for the sports categories at the Broadcast Tech Innovation Awards is Friday 25 September. The Broadcast Tech Innovation Awards 2020 are back for a second year, celebrating the exceptional teams behind the most outstanding broadcast productions of the past year. The awards include five sports-related categories, which are listed below. […]
Gfinity lands six-figure sum to deliver Cadbury-sponsored esports event
The company will organise, produce and live stream the entire event. Cadbury has appointed esports producer Gfinity to deliver new gaming tournament, the Cadbury Heroes Parents League. The knockout competition will take place on an as yet unspecified “leading games title” and will consist of 12 teams of two players. The teams will be made […]
Esports BAR partners with easylive.io to live stream virtual event
The live stream of the online conference will be given the look and feel of a TV production. Esports event specialist, Esports BAR, has partnered with live streaming company easylive.io to broadcast content from its forthcoming Esports BAR+ Americas virtual event on 22-25 September. The Esports BAR+ Americas event focuses on monetisation, innovation, investments and […]
COMMENT: Redefining sports broadcasting in the Covid era
Greg Burns, head of business development solutions, Arqiva, comprehensively examines how the industry will never be the same again. Covid-19 triggered a major setback for sports broadcasters, who faced a huge, daily challenge to offer a premium product that would keep viewers engaged and stop them from unsubscribing. Since then, we’ve watched as both leagues […]
Drone Champions League transitions to virtual events
ESL and Ross Video’s division, Rocket Surgery Virtual Productions work together to convert in-venue sport to a virtual studio set. ESL has converted a series of in-person Drone Champions League (DCL) events to a fully virtual alternative, with the competitors competing remotely. ESL worked with Ross Video’s dedicated virtual productions division, Rocket Surgery Virtual Productions […]
30 million views for F1 Esports – Virtual Grand Prix Series
Esports events bring in sizeable global audience. The F1 Esports – Virtual Grand Prix Series pulled in a total of 30 million views across TV and digital platforms during the lockdown period. The Virtual Grand Prix races attracted 21.8 million views on digital platforms alone. It was streamed on the official Formula 1 YouTube, Twitch […]
COMMENT: Esports and broadcast – The legal issues of partnership
Hayley Brady, partner and UK head of media and digital, Herbert Smith Freehills (pictured below) on the potential legal pitfalls to overcome when broadcasting esports events. The Covid-19 pandemic has stripped global television schedules of traditional content, with sports broadcasters instead sourcing a great deal of fresh content from esports. Well-publicised examples include Sky’s multi-day […]
Eurosport to show weekend of esports featuring global sports superstars
Broadcaster to air extensive coverage from the weekend-long Pro Evolution Soccer 2020 competition. Eurosport is to screen this weekend’s celebrity esports tournament, Solidarity Challenge. The contest sees football, golf, rugby and athletics stars compete in an eFootball Pro Evolution Soccer (PES) 2020 tournament, while raising awareness and donations for the Covid-19 Solidarity Response Fund for […]
Formula 1 agrees deal with Gfinity for production of F1 Esports Series
The deal is for a two-year extension to the relationship between the two companies that began in 2017. Formula 1 has extended its relationship with esports company Gfinity for content production and operational support around the F1 Esports Series in 2020 and 2021, and the 2022 qualifying events. The Gfinity Arena in London will be […]
BT Sport kick starts first of series of esports formats in partnership with Gfinity
BT Sport FIFA Challenge is the first in a series of esports formats BT Sport hopes will continue after the pandemic. BT Sport has unveiled a celebrity-led esports series, in partnership with Gfinity. The BT Sport FIFA Challenge series includes Robbie Savage, Joe Cole and Ugo Monye captaining teams with rugby and football stars. There’s […]
BT Sport to air The Isolation eRacing Series
Broadcaster returns to esports during lockdown, with the first weekly installment TX’ing tonight. BT Sport is televising new virtual motorsports esports tournament, The Isolation eRacing Series. The 100+ pro drivers taking part include stars from Formula One (Lando Norris and Nicholas Latifi), Formula E (Oliver Rowland) and other motorsports. Drivers will compete using virtual F3 […]
Gfinity to operate the second ePremier League Invitational Tournament
Esports company continues its association with the tournament that sees Premier League players competing on FIFA 20. Gfinity has won the contract to operate the second instalment of the ePremier League Invitational tournament, following its involvement in the inaugural tournament last month. The latest ePremier League Invitational will see a different group of Premier League […]
AWS teams up with F1 on ‘deep learning’ autonomous race
The race tournament is based on machine-learning and those taking part include F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo. Amazon Web Services (AWS) has teamed up with Formula 1 to create an autonomous racing tournament, the AWS DeepRacer ProAm Race. Those taking part build models in machine-learning platform Amazon SageMaker then train, test, and iterate these models using […]
Eurosport to screen Zwift Tour for All exhibition cycle eracing series
5-day tournament features some of the world’s best cyclists and mass-participation stages. Eurosport is broadcasting the Zwift Tour for All exhibition racing series, a pro racing tour on the Zwift virtual platform. The tour will be held over five stages on 4-8 May, and will feature teams from both the men’s and women’s World Tours. […]
ESL tech project creates real-time replays for esports
Partnership to innovate with live data visualisation in esports completes its first project. ESL has announced the first project to be completed from its partnership with Berlin-based Bayes Esports Solutions, which began in 2019. The partnership aims to create new innovations in live data visualisations in esports, with the first project – CARP – enabling […]
Eleven Sports Portugal creates new esports motorsports format
The esports event will be televised by Eleven Sports Portugal, with Eleven Sports prizes for the winners. Eleven Sports Portugal has created a new esports motorsports format, in partnership with GTC Race Centre and the Autódromo Virtual de Lisboa. The tournament will consist of six heats and culminate in a grand final on Sunday 7 […]
Podcast: Blast Premier CEO Robbie Douek on the growth of esports during the pandemic
Blast Premier esports CEO Robbie Douek talks to Broadcast Sport reporter Max Miller. In episode #9 of the Broadcast Tech Talks podcast series, Blast Premier esports CEO Robbie Douek talks to Broadcast Sport reporter Max Miller about the appeal of esports – what draws fans to the games, and how esports can capitalise on the […]
Industry responds to lockdown: watch virtual roundtable debate
You can stream the full BT Media & Broadcast sports industry discussion for free. BT Media & Broadcast has shared the full virtual roundtable webinar discussion it held last week to discuss the impact coronavirus is having on sports production and broadcast. The roundtable included representatives from BT Sport, Excel Esports, FACEIT and Noah Media […]
Alternative thrills: Why esports is like punk rock
Ross Video esports business development manager Cameron Reed on the anti-establishment appeal of esports. In the 1970s punk music offered a new home to young people looking for an alternative to the established norms; it represented a rebellion against a mainstream culture that its followers saw as conservative, traditional and saccharine. I think you can […]
Podcast: BT Sport COO Jamie Hindhaugh on creating a virtual studio during lockdown
BT Sport has decentralised production to enable presenters and crew to create, produce and broadcast live shows from their homes. Episode 8 of the Broadcast Tech Talks podcast series sees BT Sport COO Jamie Hindhaugh talking with Broadcast Sport editor Jake Bickerton about how the broadcaster has responded to lockdown. Working to a very tight […]
Eleven Sports to televise Digital Swiss cycling esports event
The esports competition uses real video footage of the roads in the Tour de Suisse. Eleven Sports is to broadcast The Digital Swiss 5 cycling series live in Belgium, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Italy and Myanmar. The race, which takes place 22-26 April, features some of the world’s best cyclists, with 16 of the 19 World […]
Viewpoint: The appeal and thrill of esports
Amanda Lawson, global head of content at esports company Gfinity on the thrill of the game. Having spent 20 years working in sport, from football through combat sports and more recently in esports, I thought I had seen everything. I am sitting in our broadcast gallery in Fulham, sitting in a different room to my […]
Former ESPN CEO joins board of interactive streamer Maestro
The company adds Steve Bornstein to its advisory board during a period of growth. Live interactive streaming platform Maestro has added Steve Bornstein, the former CEO of ESPN and former CEO of NFL Network to its advisory board. He will help guide Maestro as it aims to grow from its heartland of esports to traditional […]
FA launches FIFA 20 esports tournament with England players
The esports tournament is part of The FA’s #FootballsStayingHome campaign. The FA is launching a FIFA 20 tournament featuring 16 England players from the men’s, women’s and MU21 squads. The tournament will run as part of The FA’s #FootballsStayingHome initiative and is being run to raise awareness for the National Emergencies Trust and their efforts […]
Sports industry experts join webinar to discuss the impact of the pandemic
Sign up now to hear experts from BT Sport, Noah Media, Excel Sports and FACEIT at 4pm on 14 April. BT Media & Broadcast is running a virtual roundtable webinar, The changing content landscape, at 4pm on Tuesday 14 April. The event will discuss the way the sports industry is evolving in its response to […]
Almost 5m tune in to the Virtual Grand National
The virtual version of the real thing pulls in around half the audience of last year’s real race. ITV’s Virtual Grand National reached a peak audience of 4.8m, with an average of 4.3m (a 28% audience share) tuning in to the broadcast. The computer simulation of the annual horse race – which ran at the […]
Blast esports tournaments to move from stadiums to online
Esports tournament promises “an immersive live broadcast unlike anything done before”. Global esports network Blast is adapting its forthcoming Premier Spring Showdown and Spring Final events to be played remotely, in response to the coronavirus crisis. The events, which are both scheduled for June, were previously due to be held live in stadiums in front […]
The Digital Swiss 5 to bring virtual cycling to screens with real athletes
The competition is being run by Velon, the Tour de Suisse, and the Rouvy Indoor Cycling Reality platform Cycling organisation Velon has worked with the Tour de Suisse and the Rouvy Indoor Cycling Reality platform to bring viewers The Digital Swiss 5. The competition will involve world tour teams using their ‘smart’ trainers at home […]
Fox Sports continues dive into esports with Madden NFL Invitational
The broadcaster has already agreed to show the entire eNascar iRacing Pro invitational Series while events are postponed Fox Sports continued its move into esports by airing the Esports Madden NFL Invitational on Sunday. The broadcaster has already agreed to air the entirety of the eNascar iRacing Pro invitational Series, after its first showing of […]
Grabyo and Inter Miami CF combine for Twitch Stream Aid 2020
The company helped to produce the football team’s esports experience in the charity event Grabyo and Inter Miami CF partnered to remotely broadcast an esports competition for Twitch’s Stream Aid 2020. The company supplied its cloud-based remote production platform, Grabyo Producer, to the club so that players Julián Carranza, Lewis Morgan, Lee Nguyen, and Rodolfo […]
Infront makes esports appointment in growing sector
The sports media, events, and marketing company has seen interest in the area increase Infront, part of Wanda Sports Group, has appointed André Fläckel to head its esports and gaming division. The company has seen growth in the area in recent years, and it is one of the only sports able to operate at something […]
World RX and IMG launch esports series streamed to YouTube and Facebook
The first two races of the season have been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic FIA World Rallycross Championship and IMG have launched the World RX Esports Invitational Championship series, after the first two races of the season were postponed. The first two races of the new campaign were due to be held in Spain […]
F1 to use Lando Norris streaming popularity in #ChallengeLando esports event
The racing series has turned to esports while its races are postponed due to the coronavirus crisis Formula One has built on its esports offering by creating #ChallengeLando – an opportunity to race against McLaren driver Lando Norris. Norris has a popular channel on streaming site Twitch, which saw him break the record for the […]
Fox to broadcast entire Nascar esports series after record-breaking opener
Nascar has turned to esports while races are postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic Fox Sports has agreed to broadcast the entirety of the eNascar iRacing Pro invitational Series, after success with the first race. The broadcaster aired the first event on Sunday, 22 March, and drew 903,000 viewers to FS 1 – according to […]
Wolves turns to esports with Twitch-streamed players tournament
The first team and under-23s will be playing each other for bragging rights Premier League football club Wolves is launching its new esports tournament portal by streaming its first team and under-23’s squads in a FIFA 20 competition. With football paused during the coronavirus lockdown, the Midlands team has turned to its esports offering to […]
World Touring Car Cup begins esports racing series
The FIA World Touring Car Cup has begun the competition while the start date for its normal series is delayed The FIA World Touring Car Cup (WTCR) is beginning a new esports racing series today, involving current drivers. The organisation has had to delay the start of its season due to the coronavirus, and this […]
Real Madrid launches Twitch channel
The club has found another way to reach its fans while La Liga is postponed Real Madrid has launched a Twitch channel while football matches have been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. With La Liga and the Champions League both suspended, Los Merengues have moved to reach their fans in a new way and […]
Sports Content Summit: How the FA integrated esports into its digital channels
FA senior content innovations manager, Damien Cullen, explained how the governing body has revolutionised its digital output, at the Broadcast Sport Content Summit The FA has seen its online output grow in popularity and quality in recent years, and this has been in part thanks to its tie in with esports competitions. Speaking at the […]
La Liga draws 170,000 viewers and raises £129,000 with esports tournament
Real Madrid’s Marco Asensio won the charity tournament La Liga may not have gone ahead this weekend, but some of the league’s star players did take part in a high profile tournament. The #LaLigaSantanderChallenge went ahead on Sunday, bringing players from 19 of the Spanish top division’s teams together in a charity esports competition played […]
F1 launches esports competition to replace postponed races
The virtual racing series will include current drivers and ‘stars’ Formula One has launched the F1 Esports Virtual Grand Prix to replace the races that it has had to postpone. The virtual racing series will start at 8pm GMT on 22 March, the day when the Bahrain GP would have otherwise have gone ahead. It […]
La Liga backs charity esports tournament involving star players
A player each from 19 of the league’s teams is taking part in the competition La Liga and sponsors Santander have joined Spanish video game influencer, Ibai Llanos, in his charity FIFA 20 tournament. The sports commentator put out a call to the league on 16 March to create the competition, and now the governing […]
Figures across esports eye opportunity during and after coronavirus crisis
The industry is aiming to take advantage of the postponements in traditional sports Several esports figures are looking at the cancellation of traditional sports events worldwide as an opportunity for the industry. With high profile live sport on hiatus during the coronavirus pandemic, a sport that can largely be played online is one of very […]
Coronavirus crisis sees sports stars and teams turn to esports
Football, Formula One, and Nascar are among the sports to have turned to their virtual equivalent Sporting teams and stars have turned to esports in the absence of their normal events with the coronavirus crisis. The majority of sport events have been postponed for the foreseeable future in an attempt to slow the spread of […]
Blast Premier esports tournament signs exclusive deal with TV2
The broadcaster will have exclusive rights in Norway TV2 Norway has agreed to be the exclusive Norwegian TV and online broadcaster for the Blast Premier season and Blast Premier Showdown Nordic qualifying tournament. The Counter Strike: Global Offensive esports tournament sees teams fighting it out for a $4.25 million (£3.47m) prize pool. TV2 will be […]
Esports media rights predicted to grow rapidly in 2020
Media rights and streaming are among the factors pushing growth in revenues A report on esports from market intelligence company Newzoo expects the sport to grow quickly in 2020. Year-on-year the sport is predicted to have 15.7% growth from 2019, not including revenues from betting, fantasy leagues, similar cash-payout concepts, and revenues generated within games […]
Esports and broadcast: A match made in heaven or not a match at all?
From the duration of the game to capturing the atmosphere and considering a change in format, Chris Wood, CTO at Spicy Mango, looks at the challenges broadcasters need to consider before they take the leap into the world of esports. The world of esports is growing rapidly. In fact, it is estimated that esports revenues […]
Game on: the ever-growing production values of esports events
Head of marketing & communications at live production specialists EVS, Sebastien Verlaine, gives a view into the world of esports production Across online and TV it is estimated that more than 500 million people around the world are watching other people play video games. Yet, as esports continue to grow in popularity, tournament producers are […]
SailGP launches eSailGP esports tournament
The competition will mirror the real-life sailing races SailGP has announced the creation of an esports tournament – the 2020 eSailGP Championship – to run in conjunction with its real-life sailing competition. The organisation will partner with online sailing simulator Virtual Regatta and World Sailing to offer the competition. It comprises of seven qualification events […]
Explaining the appeal and continued growth of esports
Gravity Media Group sales manager Edward Dowdall, explains the growing appeal of esports As we head fast towards the end of 2019, esports continues to expediently grow in momentum with more global events. Tier 1 sponsors and media attention is being drawn to what is ultimately simply a form of live entertainment. Examples include the […]
1.25m tune in to live finals of mobile esports competition
Summoners War World Arena Championship 2019 finals gets 10 times the views of last year’s tournament The finals of the Summoners War World Arena Championship 2019 picked up its highest online viewing figures to date, with 1.25m tuning in to the live stream, via YouTube and Twitch. This was 10 times the cumulative views from […]
Millennial to build esports racing arena in Miami
Gaming and esports specialist says 12,000 square-foot arena will be first of its kind Millennial Esports is building what it says is the world’s first dedicated esports racing arena in Miami. Set to open in 2020, the new 12,000 square-foot arena will be located in the entertainment district of Wynwood in Miami. Canadian-based gaming and […]
League of Legends Pro League finals unveil AR world’s first
The opening ceremony for the esports finals features a real-time AR gaming character being interviewed and joining a dance troupe on-stage Real-time facial animation and live ray tracing was used for the first time during the live broadcast of Riot Games’ League of Legends Pro League (LPL) regional finals. The broadcast saw an AR computer […]
Weavr esports project unveils first working prototype
Government backed esports consortium debuts mobile app at ESL One Birmingham Weavr, a UK Research and Innovation-backed consortium of companies spanning esports, education and entertainment, has demonstrated its first working prototype mobile esports app. Eight months after being founded in January 2019, the consortium has built a prototype of the first third-party analytics and viewing […]
IMG to produce and broadcast Fortnite World Cup 2019
The high-profile esports tournament finals to be live streamed online, and televised on in-flight sports channel, Sport 24 Extra IMG has been appointed by Epic Games to produce and distribute the first Fortnite World Cup 2019. The finals of the esports tournament will take place 26-28 July at the Arthur Ashe Tennis Stadium in […]
JD Sports launches esports competition
Inaugural JDX event will hold finals at Salford’s Dock10 studios in August Retailer JD Sports is pushing into esports, with the launch of a new esports competition, JDX. Qualifier stages for the inaugural JDX event will be held at Westfield Stratford City on 26th July and intu Trafford Centre, Manchester on 31st July. The competition […]
Bannister Lake takes on Gran Turismo esports championships
Video display specialist on hand for esports competition at Nürburgring Track in Germany Video display specialists Bannister Lake is providing live data management and graphics for the esports FIA-certified Gran Turismo Championships 2019 Series. The series kicked off on June 21-22 at an esports event that took place at the Nürburgring Track in Germany, produced […]