ESPN is about to turn some more heads from traditional sports to eSports. Today, ESPN has announced that it will be broadcasting the Street Fighter V World Championship finals from EVO at 7 PM Pacific (10 PM Eastern) on July 17th through the ESPN2 channel. TV ads have already been rolled out, and they certainly amp up the hype.
This is not the first time ESPN has showcased eSports through its services, but it is on of their biggest moves so far. Given the growing market of competitive gaming in recent years, it isn’t so surprising. The research firm Newzoo’s latest market report found that eSports revenues reached $325 million last year, with a third of that coming from North America.
ESPN’s decision to air the match is part of a recent initiative by the company to heavily invest in eSports. In an interview with TIME magazine, ESPN.com editor-in-chief Chad Millman commented on whether or not eSports are “real sports” by saying, “Who cares about the question, right? At the end of the day, it’s cool, it’s intense, the competition is crazy, it has million-dollar performers, it has high stakes, it has owners who are trying to steal team members from different teams, it has everything that makes sports interesting to cover. And it has an audience, and it’s an audience that isn’t necessarily duplicated with what ESPN is doing. So to wade into a debate about whether or not it’s sports is irresponsible from a content creation perspective, because then we’re not serving the audience, which is all we’re supposed to be doing. I don’t think the audience cares.”
What do you think? Do you, as the audience, care if eSports aren’t on the same level as “real” sports? Will you be watching EVO this year? What match-up has got you pumped? Hash it out in the comments below!
