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ESPN to Shut Down Esports Division

American sports channel ESPN has made the unfortunate decision of shutting down its entire Esports division, while also laying... Pablo | 13. November 2020

American sports channel ESPN has made the unfortunate decision of shutting down its entire Esports division, while also laying off some 300 members of staff. Such a decision has been put down to the Covid-19 pandemic in the main, however there are other factors involved too.

The pandemic, has hit a number of organizations hard, including ESPN, with a host of budget cuts having seemingly not been enough to save the Esports division of the multinational sports channel. Speculation mounted some weeks ago surrounding the future of ESPN, with an official announcement having now been made. A statement from ESPN stated that the Esports division would be closed in order to “weather the COVID storm”.

What the News Means for ESPN Staff Members

Jimmy Pitaro, Chairman at ESPN, around 10% of the company’s entire workforce will be cut, which equates to some 500 jobs and 300 employees. 200 positions will therefore be left vacant, however no new recruits will be hired. The likes of Emily Rand and Tyler Erzberger, two prominent Esports writers, along with editor Sean Morrison, journalist Jacob Wolf and senior editor Darin Kwilinski have all now taken leave, leaving their immediate future up in the air.

ESPN will now no longer work on any new Esports related projects, however those that are already underway will be completed. It is expected that all relevant ESPN Esports social media pages will be closed over the coming days too. However, there is hope for fans of the division, with an ESPN representative having made it clear that they would not be turning their backs completely on the Esports scene.

“We have made the difficult decision to cease operations for our dedicated daily esports editorial and content. We recognize esports as an opportunity to expand our audience, and we’ll continue to do so through coverage from the broader team for major events, breaking news and coverage.”

What Led to ESPN’s Decision to Shut Down their Esports Division

ESPN have struggled in terms of viewership over recent times. In fact, just 25 of their 288 events broadcast on Twitch have generated over 1,000 viewers. Meanwhile, the Rocket League Invitation, broadcast live on ESPN, attracted just 15,000 viewers. ESPN had also recently aired events from League of Legends and NBA2K.

A statement suggested that the channel would continue to cover major Esports events and breaking news, stating that: “We have made the difficult decision to cease operations for our dedicated daily esports editorial and content,” an ESPN spokesperson told The Esports Observer. “We recognize esports as an opportunity to expand our audience, and we’ll continue to do so through coverage from the broader team for major events, breaking news and coverage.”

While the news surrounding ESPN’s decision will come as a disappointment to many, it could leave the door open for smaller Esports organizations to make a name for themselves.