OWL exclusively on YouTube even without a deal

The Overwatch 2 community is stumped and confused because it seems that the Overwatch League has decided to remain exclusive to YouTube, despite the fact that there is no streaming deal, and the Call of Duty League is now allowed to stream on multiple platforms as well.

Streaming deals for esports leagues have long been a contentious issue for viewers of their games. While the deal brings an influx of cash to the scene, it also limits reach and leaves some of the game’s content creators out in the cold when it comes to co-streaming. Overwatch fans are rightly wondering why, without an exclusive deal, the OWL is only streamed on YouTube and not Twitch.

OWL streams exclusively on YouTube without a deal

This is exactly the situation Activision-Blizzard faced before when they struck an exclusive streaming deal in January 2020 to broadcast both the Call of Duty League and the Overwatch League to YouTube and YouTube only.

But now, in 2023, the contract appears to have expired. The CDL has already begun streaming on both Twitch and YouTube, allowing for co-streams of games for content creators to participate in on both platforms. This has resulted in the CDL recording a record number of viewers since the move.

However, the OWL, which is now gearing up for the 2023 season, still appears to be YouTube-only, though no exclusive deals have been finalized. Even though the Contenders scene is already multistreaming on Twitch and YouTube, fans are at a loss as to exactly what’s going on.

Mixed feelings among the fans

On April 18th, the OWL announced the schedule for the first weekend and urged fans to watch gaming on YouTube. No mention was made of Twitch or any other platform. The recently concluded Pro-Am tournament was also streamed exclusively on YouTube.