ESPN, Disney XD and Blizzard Entertainment Announce Multiyear Exclusive Telecast Agreement for Overwatch League™
July 11 2018 - 12:00PM
Business Wire
- Comprehensive 2018 coverage
including Overwatch League playoffs and Grand Finals across ESPN
and Disney television networks
- Telecast schedules for 2019
Overwatch League content to be announced
Today ESPN, Disney XD and Blizzard Entertainment announced an
exclusive multiyear agreement for live television coverage of the
Overwatch League™, the world’s first major global city-based
esports league.
Beginning with Overwatch League playoff coverage on Wednesday,
July 11, across both networks, the 2017–2018 Overwatch League
inaugural season concludes with the Grand Finals live from Barclays
Center in Brooklyn, New York, on ESPN and Disney XD July 27–28. All
coverage also will be available for ESPN and Disney network
subscribers to stream live on the ESPN App and DisneyNOW. To round
out the 2018 Grand Finals coverage, a recap show highlighting the
biggest moments will air July 29 on ABC. The Grand Finals telecast
on ESPN marks the first time live competitive gaming has aired on
the flagship network in primetime, and will be the first broadcast
of an esports championship on ABC.
“The Overwatch League Grand Finals is by far our most
comprehensive television distribution for an esports event over a
single weekend: 10 total hours over four networks and three days,”
said Justin Connolly, Executive Vice President, Affiliate Sales and
Marketing, Disney and ESPN Media Networks. “This overall
collaboration with Disney/ABC, ESPN and Blizzard represents our
continued commitment to esports, and we look forward to providing
marquee Overwatch League coverage across our television platforms
for fans.”
“We are pleased to partner with Activision Blizzard to bring
Overwatch esports to our audience. The Blizzard team has created a
genre-leading esport and a premium professional franchise system in
the Overwatch League,” said Marc Buhaj, Senior Vice President,
Programming and General Manager, Disney XD. “We are kicking off the
agreement by showcasing the inaugural season playoffs and Grand
Finals live across our linear footprint. Together with our telecast
partners at ESPN, we look forward to growing a legion of new
Overwatch fans across the next two years.”
“We’re excited to be working with ESPN and DisneyXD to bring
Overwatch esports to an even wider audience,” said Pete Vlastelica,
President and CEO of Activision Blizzard Esports Leagues. “We’ve
seen incredible passion and support from fans during the inaugural
season of the Overwatch League, and we’re looking forward to
capping it off for them with an epic Grand Finals at Barclays
Center later this month.”
The inaugural season of the Overwatch League will culminate in
the Grand Finals, the ultimate showdown for the championship: the
first team to win two best-of-five matches at Barclays Center will
take home the Overwatch League trophy and the lion’s share of the
$1.4 million Grand Finals prize pool. Play begins Friday, July 27,
at 7 p.m. EDT with the first best-of-five match on ESPN, and
continues Saturday, July 28, at 4:30 p.m. EDT with the second and
potential third series on Disney XD. This broadcast will air
alongside the primary digital viewing experience on Twitch, with
the Overwatch League also available via MLG.com. A re-air of day
two Grand Finals play will be available on ESPN2 at 9 p.m. EDT. In
addition, a recap show of highlights from the Grand Finals will air
Sunday, July 29, at 3 p.m. EDT on ABC. The full telecast schedule,
from the playoffs through the Grand Finals, is below.
Overwatch League 2017–2018 Playoffs and
Grand Finals Telecast Schedule (all times Eastern)
Date
Time (EDT) Event
Network(s) Wed, July 11
8 p.m. Day 1 of Quarterfinals
Disney XD, ESPN3 Fri, July 13
8 p.m. Day 2 of Quarterfinals
Disney XD, ESPN3 Sat, July 14 4
p.m. Day 3 of Quarterfinals
Disney XD, ESPN3 Wed, July 18 8 p.m.
Day 1 of Semifinals
Disney XD, ESPN3 Fri, July 20 7 p.m.
Day 2 of Semifinals ESPNEWS Sat,
July 21 7 p.m. Day 3 of
Semifinals ESPN2 Fri, July 27
7 p.m. Day 1 of Finals
ESPN Sat, July 28 4:30 p.m.
Day 2 of Finals Disney XD, ESPN3
Sat, July 28 9 p.m. Day 2
of Finals ESPN2 (re-air) Sun, July 29
3 p.m. Highlights Recap
ABC, ESPN3
About the Overwatch League™
The Overwatch League™ is the first major global
professional esports league with city-based teams across Asia,
Europe, and North America. Overwatch® was created by globally
acclaimed publisher Blizzard Entertainment (a division of
Activision Blizzard—Nasdaq: ATVI), whose iconic franchises have
helped lay the foundations and push the boundaries of professional
esports over the last 15 years. The latest addition to Blizzard’s
stable of twenty-one #1 games, Overwatch was built from the ground
up for online competition, with memorable characters and fast-paced
action designed for the most engaging gameplay and spectator
experiences. To learn more about the Overwatch League,
visit www.overwatchleague.com.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking
Statements: Information in this press release that involves
Blizzard Entertainment’s expectations, plans, intentions or
strategies regarding the future, including statements about the
exclusive multiyear agreement for live television coverage of the
Overwatch League with ESPN and Disney XD, and the dates, events and
features of the Overwatch League, are forward-looking statements
that are not facts and involve a number of risks and uncertainties.
Factors that could cause Blizzard Entertainment’s actual future
results to differ materially from those expressed in the
forward-looking statements set forth in this release include
unanticipated product delays and other factors identified in the
risk factors sections of Activision Blizzard’s most recent annual
report on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form
10-Q. The forward-looking statements in this release are based upon
information available to Blizzard Entertainment and Activision
Blizzard as of the date of this release, and neither Blizzard
Entertainment nor Activision Blizzard assumes any obligation to
update any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking
statements believed to be true when made may ultimately prove to be
incorrect. These statements are not guarantees of the future
performance of Blizzard Entertainment or Activision Blizzard and
are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of
which are beyond its control and may cause actual results to differ
materially from current expectations.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180711005611/en/
ESPNAngela Yangangela.yang@espn.comorDisney XDPatti
McTeaguepatti.mcteague@disney.comorBlizzard EntertainmentMark Van
Lommelmvanlommel@overwatchleague.com
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