Yahoo! Inc. today announced that Yahoo Esports is entering into a two year agreement with ESL, the world’s largest esports company, to bring esports to mainstream audiences via distribution across Yahoo’s properties. Additionally, Yahoo Esports and ESL will collaborate on the development of new tournaments to be covered and distributed by Yahoo, with new exciting integrated sponsorship opportunities for advertisers.
As part of the agreement, Yahoo Esports and ESL will work together to distribute Yahoo’s unique storytelling and in-depth coverage of ESL’s major events, including the ESL One and IEM global competitive series. Yahoo Esports will live stream ESL produced tournaments in HD quality throughout the world and promote content globally to esports fans across Yahoo properties. To help brands be part of this action, Yahoo Esports is offering advertisers integrated content sponsorship opportunities within both its esports coverage and new tournament offerings.
“Our Yahoo Esports team is extremely excited to be partnering with ESL to bring greater coverage of its leading esports events, as well as innovate in new competitive formats and content offerings that we are sure will excite both fans and advertisers alike,” said Zachary John, VP of Yahoo Video and Esports. “Yahoo’s unique storytelling, highly talented editorial staff and global scale are a great combination with ESL’s experience and leadership in the space.”
“ESL in a unique position to be able to offer access to some of the world’s best esports competitions, and having a partner like Yahoo Esports means we will not only reach a broader audience with a supreme quality broadcast, but also deliver exclusive editorial content for esports fans worldwide,” said Nik Adams, Senior VP of Sales at ESL. “Yahoo Esports is a fantastic partner to team up with for the broadcast and coverage of our key events, and we are looking forward to working with them on new and exciting content for our viewers,”
Yahoo Esports successfully launched in March as the premier destination for delivering professional esports coverage across major games and events, coupled with a comprehensive product experience. With an emphasis on unique video content experiences covering live tournaments, Yahoo Esports reaches a global audience and is across platform including recent launches on both iOS and Android. With world class experts and talent including Travis Gafford, Taylor Cocke, Dylan Walker and Michael Martin, Yahoo Esports covers the top competitive games including League of Legends, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Dota 2, Street Fighter V, Heroes of the Storm, as well as major topics and personalities in the esports industry.