EN DE CN BR ES RU
Image
Icon

ESL expands broadcasts to YouTube

ESL FACEIT Group (EFG) no longer relies solely on Twitch streaming. Instead, according to the tournament organizer, the ESL... Maria | 1. February 2023

ESL FACEIT Group (EFG) no longer relies solely on Twitch streaming. Instead, according to the tournament organizer, the ESL will stream on Twitch and YouTube, as an exclusivity agreement with the former no longer binds it.

ESL FACEIT Group (EFG) rebroadcasting on multiple platforms

ESL FACEIT Group (EFG), one of the world’s largest eSports and competitive gaming organizations, has announced that it will expand its operations to YouTube.

They will make their live streams of tournaments available on multiple platforms and maintain their partnership with Twitch to reach more eSports fans worldwide.

This non-exclusive content distribution will be streamed through EFG’s well-known brands ESL, FACEIT, DreamHack, and DreamHack Sports Games. In addition, they announce the broadcasting of the ESL R1 racing league. This is a significant departure from the heavily gaming-oriented Twitch platform.

EFG hopes its wider distribution on YouTube will give the company more opportunities to increase its presence and offer viewers new ways to interact with the material.

ESL and DreamHack Broadcast Agreements

In April 2020, ESL and DreamHack agreed to a three-year contract with Twitch. Initially non-exclusive for 2020, the agreement restricted all official English-language streaming to Twitch in 2021 and 2022. Previously, the ESL had exclusive broadcasts with Facebook and YouTube, agreements that the community criticizes.

The Facebook live stream received much criticism due to its unsatisfactory viewing experience and technical limitations. So ESL is renouncing the agreement and ending the exclusivity. YouTube was a much stronger rival for broadcasts, but the community’s comfort with Twitch as the official home of CS:GO for years still provoked resistance, albeit to a lesser extent.

Since then, Twitch’s popularity has continued to grow; competitions outside of the ESL circuit, particularly BLAST and PGL events, are now streamed simultaneously to Twitch and YouTube.

As its exclusive contract with Twitch has expired, the ESL can stream its events on various platforms, including the ESL Pro League and ESL Pro Tour. In addition, we can watch the ESL National Championships and other ESL events on various services.

Statements by Mark Cohen

EFG’s chief relationship officer and senior vice president of brand and media partnerships, Mark Cohen, comments; that as video games continue to develop worlds beyond gameplay, his company must engage with the community wherever it is.

“Live-streaming our events on our own broadcast channels across multiple platforms adds to the reach our products have via our official Media Rights partners and allows us and our brand partners to grow and nurture the esports community and to better serve gaming enthusiasts worldwide.”

“Building on our relationships with Twitch and YouTube, we have the opportunity to provide fans with a better viewing experience; and we are thrilled to have them on board on this journey.”

End of exclusivity

The agreement will expire just before the IEM Katowice, and its Play-In phase begins today, February 1.

Some ESL championships on Twitch and YouTube

  • ESL Pro Tour for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
  • ESL Impact (all-women CS:GO)
  • Snapdragon Pro Series (mobile esports)
  • Dota 2
  • ESL Pro Tour for StarCraft II
  • ESL R1 for RENNSPORT

Header: ESLCS | Twitter