Sports networks are getting more and more into televising video game competitions, and the latest move on that front is ESPN’s announcement that they’ll televise Tuesday’s Madden NFL 16 championship on ESPN2 as well as WatchESPN. This marks the first time ESPN2 will have presented live coverage of the Madden NFL Championship series. Here are more details from ESPN’s release:
ESPN2 will televise the Madden NFL 16 Championship from 6:00-7:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, June 14. The event will take place from the Novo Theater in Los Angeles, live from EA Play. It will also be available to stream live via WatchESPN. The program marks the first time ESPN2 has delivered live coverage of the Madden NFL Championship series.
This year’s Madden NFL 16 Championship will see finalists competing for a piece of the $50,000 prize pool, and one winner taking home the title.
This is the culmination of a substantial series of Madden events, and while Madden’s a little different than many of the games typically featured in eSports competition, it’s one that might be easier to sell to casual sports fans. That may be important, especially considering that ESPN’s previous attempt at televising video games on ESPN2 didn’t go so well from a ratings standpoint. That hasn’t turned them off from covering eSports, though, and the Madden partnership makes some sense for them; in addition to video games, it’s promoting EA and the NFL, and ESPN has good reasons to work with both. In fact, this might lead to more; EA just announced that they’re launching a full eSports initiative with Madden this fall.
Video game publisher Electronic Arts Inc. plans to award $1 million over the next year to top players of its latest “Madden NFL” title.
The prize money is a selling point for a new, four-tournament series beginning this fall, marking the first e-sports initiative from the nation’s second-most-profitable gamemaker since it launched a competitive gaming division in December.
The “Madden NFL 17” Championship Series, announced Sunday, comes two days before the Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3, brings the gaming industry to downtown Los Angeles. Turning video games into a sport, with all the traditional complexities of stadiums, free agency and drug testing, is among the hottest topics at this year’s convention.
Electronic Arts is committing to a three-year plan, hoping to slowly build up amateur, mid-level and professional tournaments.
So, there will certainly be more inventory out there, and if this goes well, ESPN might be interested in showing more of it, whether that’s on WatchESPN or on its television channels. Tuesday’s championship might prove an interesting test case for them.
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