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The Electronic Sports League has announced Facebook will be their main broadcast partner for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Pro League and ESL One esport events in 2018 and beyond.
In an official ESL blog post, the organisation confirmed all upcoming events in both leagues will be only available to watch on the popular social media platform, along with embedded streams on the event websites, as part of a new partnership.
The streams are available to both Facebook users and those without an account, meaning you do not have to register to access the live-streamed tournament coverage as before.
ESL has previously shared clips and stories of their esports tournaments on Facebook, but the next stage will involve “providing a much more advanced viewing experience which also connects to the existing Facebook pages of teams, players and talents.”
This will involve the Facebook Watch feature, which ESL says it will use to provide streams of their tournaments in full 1080p resolution and 60fps, a common request from the hardcore esports audience. You can also choose to watch live-streams in a virtual reality headset such as HTC Vive and Oculus Rift.
In addition, a weekly esports show for Dota 2 will be aired through Facebook Watch, with further details to be announced at a later date.
The new collaborative video features on Facebook, which allow users to watch live-streams with friends and jump in both general and private chat-rooms while watching the same broadcast, is the main feature ESL points to as the solution for further developing the social esports viewing experience.
“Having two of ESL’s most adored properties for CS:GO and Dota 2 streaming exclusively on Facebook is the next step in our efforts to delight the passionate esports community on Facebook,” said Leo Olebe, Director of Facebook Games Partnerships. “The ability to now watch esports in 1080p and in VR underscores our commitment to adding more ways for fans to watch and connect with each other around the esports content they love most.”
All CS:GO Pro League and ESL One live-streams on Facebook will be broadcast in English and Portuguese, with other language options available.
The first ESL event to launch this year will be Dota 2 at ESL One Genting 2018 on January 23 – 28, followed by CS:GO Pro League on February 13, which we will be covering as it unfolds.
In the mean-time, keep Esportbet.com bookmarked for the latest betting predictions, team news and other industry updates.
