ESL expands online coverage

Social media platform Facebook has moved to step up its esports coverage by enhancing its partnership with the ESL organisation.

Under the agreement, Facebook will stream all Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) and ESL One events in up to six different languages. Coverage of various other national championships and online leagues will also be provided.

In addition, ESL will continue to stream exclusive backstage content from ESL’s stadium events on Facebook Live.

The expanded partnership will also result in the launch of a new and exclusive weekly stream focused on ESEA Rank S, the ranking system for the E-Sports Entertainment Association League.

As well as the 30 hours of weekly Rank S streaming, Facebook will show a weekly 30-minute show focused on Rank S, ESEA and the Counter Strike: Global Offensive game.

Johannes Schiefer, vice-president of social media at ESL, said: “This is a huge step toward expanding the reach of esports among mainstream audiences. Last year, ESL content generated over 2 billion impressions and reached over 200 million users on Facebook globally.

“Now, with the addition of live streaming for all major ESL events, as well as exclusive content around CS:GO and ESEA, we are excited to expand our reach to more audiences and build strong local communities by providing them with content they care about.”