ESL extends Facebook Partnership Deal, Eyes Return to Twitch
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| Author Nick Johnson
Continuing on with its sponsorship extensions, ESL has announced that it has extended its non-exclusive broadcasting rights with Facebook. This opens the way for Pro League to return to Twitch. Facebook will stream ESL competitions in English through December 19th, 2019 in 1080p at 60FPS. They will also broadcast ESL Pro League in English and Portuguese. The deal also makes mention of “new updates in video quality and stability improvements as well as easier ways to discover ESL events.”
We are extending our broadcast partnership with @FacebookGaming on a non-exclusive basis through 2019!
More details: https://t.co/JKum8tqaG0 pic.twitter.com/LrPYfUgGjx
— ESL (@ESL) February 12, 2019
Ralf Reichert, Co-CEO of ESL, had this to say on the partnership: “ESL brings together a global community of esports fans and aims to deliver amazing esports experiences to audiences around the world, both online and through large scale events. ESL will be providing multiple sources in which fans can experience our flagship circuits online — including a return to Facebook Gaming to continue bringing content to its rapidly growing audience.”
ESL has drawn the ire of fans in recent years due to its partnership with Facebook. Many viewers complained about stream quality and stability along with the less-than-stellar chat support of Facebook’s video client. This move likely means the return of ESL events to both Twitch and Youtube, as confirmed by ESLJohannes on Reddit.
Image VIA: ESL
Nick "Lesona" Johnson is an esports journalist with a focus on CS:GO and the OWL. His interest for esports started with CS:S and grew into a career as both an esports writer and an avid fan, giving him a unique perspective on both the casual and professional scenes. Twitter: @Lesona_