CBS Will Broadcast Major League Gaming On TV This Fall
ANAHEIM – With the 2012 Major League Gaming Spring Championship in full swing this weekend in Anaheim, Sundance DiGiovanni, founder and CEO of MLG, said that CBS will broadcast an MLG event this fall. CBS Interactive Games, which has an exclusive partnership with MLG to sell advertising for its events, was in Anaheim to live stream coverage through Gamespot.
“We had meetings during E3 with major mainstream advertisers and there’s a lot of interest in what we’re doing,” said DiGiovanni. “While streaming will remain an integral part of the expansion of eSports, there will be a broadcast component on CBS this fall.”
CBSi Games has hired pro gamers to complement its coverage of eSports. TSquared and Mrs. Violence were both in Anaheim with camera crews to provide original streaming coverage of the event. Additional pro gamers that CBSi is working with include Huk, Grubby, InControl and Idra on Starcraft II. They’re also working with Starcraft casters like Husky.
“We will help MLG distribute their content, we will carry their content on Gamespot, and on top of that, we’ll do our own content with pro players and wrap-ups,” said Simon Whitcomb, vice president, CBSi Games. “We’re a distribution point. We take existing content and broadcast it out to a wider audience.”
MLG held pro gaming tournaments at the Gamespot booth throughout E3 week with StarCraft II on Tuesday, Mortal Kombat on Wednesday and Call of Duty on Thursday.
Moving forward, Whitcombe said CBSi Games will follow the audience of eSports into new games, including the Dota 2 community and League of Legends.
DiGiovanni said that a growing number of game publishers and developers are incorporating elements specifically for eSports into new games. Activision has already said Treyarch’s Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 will have features catered for eSports. And Microsoft and 343 Industries are expected to showcase exclusive features for Halo 4 designed for this growing community. Other games will be unveiled in the coming months. With this type of implementation, DiGiovanni said next season could see even more games integrated into MLG.
The CBS brand creates a level of comfort with a wide stable of advertisers because CBS brings a lot of serious brand advertisers to the table,” said Whitcombe. “We add a reach to eSports events that it’s been difficult for individual leagues to do until now.”
Lol no way it will be broadcasted on CBS, esports isn't ready for a big channel like that. Not to mention CBS doesn't even have timeslots for things like that. Their worst performing shows get like 6 million views (only US residents), esports doesn't even pulls off 10% of that with views from all over the world. It would be their worst performing show of all time, they wont do that.
10 bucks it will and up on Spike or MTV (who already air gameshows), so dont get your hopes up they will air esports on the most successful channel in the US. Not gonna happen, it's ridiculous.
On June 10 2012 22:07 TheSir wrote: Lol no way it will be broadcasted on CBS, esports isn't ready for a big channel like that. Not to mention CBS doesn't even have timeslots for things like that. Their worst performing shows get like 6 million views (only US residents), esports doesn't even pulls off 10% of that with views from all over the world. It would be their worst performing show of all time, they wont do that.
10 bucks it will and up on Spike or MTV (who already air gameshows), so dont get your hopes up they will air esports on the most successful channel in the US. Not gonna happen, it's ridiculous.
Thank you for being the only realistic person here. "ESPORTS" is far far away from being on TV simply due to viewership numbers.
So does this mean there might be events which will be TV only? I know they said is streaming is an integral part ..., but I'm curious as how this will affect the possibilities of Europeans watching MLG as we don't have CBS.
On June 10 2012 22:07 TheSir wrote: Lol no way it will be broadcasted on CBS, esports isn't ready for a big channel like that. Not to mention CBS doesn't even have timeslots for things like that. Their worst performing shows get like 6 million views (only US residents), esports doesn't even pulls off 10% of that with views from all over the world. It would be their worst performing show of all time, they wont do that.
10 bucks it will and up on Spike or MTV (who already air gameshows), so dont get your hopes up they will air esports on the most successful channel in the US. Not gonna happen, it's ridiculous.
>sundance and cbs confirms it will be broadcast >a nobody denies it
okay
Obviously this is only going to be a partial broadcast experiment. Maybe finals or another exhibition match of some form. But it is going on TV barring some large mishap. Will it stay there? I dunno. Probably not. But it's going on TV. And CBS is easily rich enough to make this attempt.
On June 10 2012 22:31 SimDawg wrote: You wouldn't understand unless you live in the US. CBS is so big they just don't put things like this on a channel.
It'd be like MLG on BBCOne, that's how big the terrestrial CBS channel is.
It's going to be on an affiliate, but still its awesome. I think CBS Sports is a good guess.
I live in the US. And it's in the fall. MLG is always on a weekend. Coinciding with football. So not going on sports channel more than likely.
On June 10 2012 22:31 SimDawg wrote: You wouldn't understand unless you live in the US. CBS is so big they just don't put things like this on a channel.
It'd be like MLG on BBCOne, that's how big the terrestrial CBS channel is.
It's going to be on an affiliate, but still its awesome. I think CBS Sports is a good guess.
I live in the US. And it's in the fall. MLG is always on a weekend. Coinciding with football. So not going on sports channel more than likely.
So where else do they put that?
He never said it's live.
I'm envisioning something chopped and parceled into a half hour segment. Do you think they'll experiment with hours of coverage?
On June 10 2012 22:31 SimDawg wrote: You wouldn't understand unless you live in the US. CBS is so big they just don't put things like this on a channel.
It'd be like MLG on BBCOne, that's how big the terrestrial CBS channel is.
It's going to be on an affiliate, but still its awesome. I think CBS Sports is a good guess.
I live in the US. And it's in the fall. MLG is always on a weekend. Coinciding with football. So not going on sports channel more than likely.
So where else do they put that?
He never said it's live.
I'm envisioning something chopped and parceled into a half hour segment. Do you think they'll experiment with hours of coverage?
I think 30 min wouldn't get you anything. I see it being an hour. Not more, not less.
On June 10 2012 22:31 SimDawg wrote: You wouldn't understand unless you live in the US. CBS is so big they just don't put things like this on a channel.
It'd be like MLG on BBCOne, that's how big the terrestrial CBS channel is.
It's going to be on an affiliate, but still its awesome. I think CBS Sports is a good guess.
I live in the US. And it's in the fall. MLG is always on a weekend. Coinciding with football. So not going on sports channel more than likely.
So where else do they put that?
NFL games are on network TV, not CBS Sports. And anyway, odds are this'll be some weekday night experiment on a subsidiary channel. But regardless of where/when it is broadcast, getting SC2 on TV in the US will be great.
guys learn to read. It doesn't say its on cbs. CBS is only part of the company name that it is being shown on .. its a subsidiary.
Dont get me wrong, im not trying to shit on anything this is freaking awesome news ... but its not the main CBS thats picking it up it was their digital whatever.
It sounds like they will basically be rebroadcasting (parts presumably) it on some undisclosed format - i imagine online.
Its a big step in a great direction - but its not onto cable tv as I read it.
Although rereading it does look like they are playing with the idea of a eSports station. If they are thats also cool, hope they arnt trying too early though. I think they have to do something global to get the kinds of viewers they need - unless there are a lot of people who have indicated they would watch eSports if it was on tv but don't do so online for whatever reason.
On June 10 2012 22:07 TheSir wrote: Lol no way it will be broadcasted on CBS, esports isn't ready for a big channel like that. Not to mention CBS doesn't even have timeslots for things like that. Their worst performing shows get like 6 million views (only US residents), esports doesn't even pulls off 10% of that with views from all over the world. It would be their worst performing show of all time, they wont do that.
10 bucks it will and up on Spike or MTV (who already air gameshows), so dont get your hopes up they will air esports on the most successful channel in the US. Not gonna happen, it's ridiculous.
CBS doesn't own those though. It will be on a CBS channel which means either CW, Showtime, CBS, or CBS Sports.
Guess that line was missed. They're not going to show live full matches. Think something like SportsCenter, probably only half an hour (unless it's all MLG games, then an hour with SC2 getting a smaller portion), probably as a filler between either football games (a dream) or just before the late evening news (IF it's on broadcast CBS; no telling when if it's on CBS Sports, though I hope it isn't since very households can and do get this).
I honestly don't think this will do much of anything. If it's on CBS Sports, it's only for those with the extended tv services (and if you have 600+ channels, chances are you're not going to see/watch this UNLESS yer already a fan) and won't likely do anything. If it's on regular CBS, it'll likely only be seen by people who already watch eSports as people who watch CBS for football (American, college and pro level) will change the channel once the game they're watching is over. But hey, I could be wrong, and here's hoping I am.
EDIT: It could be on CW/Showtime, at any time with any real length, the more I think about it. Showtime has a fluid schedule and could show it as a one-time thing, like the finals or something like that of the Fall Championships. CW, trying to be with the "hip, in crowd" could do something like this since teens are more apt to watch CW (that's the thought anyway) and would, in theory, be more interested in this.
While still great it is not even close to as good as the title suggests. Honestly I think it would've been better to be on like ESPN's 4th channel then some no name CBS channel. I've never even heard of CBS Sports. Didn't know they had a dedicated channel to sports.
Yeah the more I think about it the devil is going to be in the details.
Whether they do hours of coverage or a wrap-up and tangential content, what channel it's on, what the plan is as far as commitment and legwork setting the stage.
On June 10 2012 22:07 TheSir wrote: Lol no way it will be broadcasted on CBS, esports isn't ready for a big channel like that. Not to mention CBS doesn't even have timeslots for things like that. Their worst performing shows get like 6 million views (only US residents), esports doesn't even pulls off 10% of that with views from all over the world. It would be their worst performing show of all time, they wont do that.
10 bucks it will and up on Spike or MTV (who already air gameshows), so dont get your hopes up they will air esports on the most successful channel in the US. Not gonna happen, it's ridiculous.
CBS doesn't own those though. It will be on a CBS channel which means either CW, Showtime, CBS, or CBS Sports.
One of those sticks out.
Your talking about CBS Corporation which own's Showtime, CW etc, that is correct but CBS also owns Viacom (used to be under the same umbrella as CBS Corporation) which owns small cable channels like Spike, MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon.
CBS Corporation doesn´t have channels where they can air something like esports. CW is not a option, Showtime is not a option, CBS Sports is not a option. And i already hear you think why not CBS Sports... well wrong demographic.
So again, the only option is on channels from Viacom and looking at the demographic you and up with MTV (would make most sense) or Spike.
On June 10 2012 23:05 GoSuChicken wrote: Haha and ill be in the US as an exchange student :D lets hope i get my own TV or that my host family allows me to watch it :D
I think what we've been trying to say is that it won't be broadcast on the main channel, but on a subsidiary cable channel where you'll need to purchase the correct channel in order to actually watch it.
CBS either owns or is partnered with Gamespot. I haven't found a direct reference to this. There is a division called CBS Interactive listed under their company portfolio on the CBS corporate website. CBS Interactive claims 250 million monthly visitors, among other things.
However, Forbes stating plans to air MLG in the fall could point to a new channel (perhaps something on the order of TechTV or some of the more esoteric gaming networks), or a spot filler on one of the existing, less-known channels that needs an injection of viewership. I know that, were I in corporate management for CBS (and I have a degree in corporate management), I would be very interested in MLG coverage, given the amount of revenue that MLG is generating and the number of articles about pro-gaming popping up in Forbes. There have been at least 6 articles in the last 8 months, and progaming is a trending topic, so the statistics boys would like it, too.
Other posters are likely correct: MLG will not trump football. I, however, along with most of my nerd friends, feel that football is a waste of valuable progaming coverage time (or just gaming time), and networks have been trying for years to get nerds to watch their shows when they air, not later on the internet. This last is unsupported by any evidence I can find (I can't remember where I read the article). But it makes the point that viewership on live TV is big business, just like YouTube broadcasters get concerned if they lose subscribers, according to TotalBiscuit's VLOG.
Long story short: CBS is going to air MLG, but what, when, and where exactly is unkown at this point. They have a reason to do so: they want more viewership and thus more money. Nerds are also notoriously hard to get to watch TV, as we'd rather be gaming or watching someone else game. "We can always pirate it/download it/watch it on Hulu/Netflix/Amazon/YouTube later" is something I'm sure you've heard more than once.
Yeah, kinda wondering why the article title says it'll be on TV, but doesn't actually explain the TV part, just says CBSi will cover MLG through Gamespot.
If Sundance confirms it'll be broadcast, okay, but would like to know -- a broadcast on a cable channel owned by CBS would make sense, but I don't see how they can put MLG on network TV in the US, just makes no sense.
On June 10 2012 22:07 TheSir wrote: Lol no way it will be broadcasted on CBS, esports isn't ready for a big channel like that. Not to mention CBS doesn't even have timeslots for things like that. Their worst performing shows get like 6 million views (only US residents), esports doesn't even pulls off 10% of that with views from all over the world. It would be their worst performing show of all time, they wont do that.
10 bucks it will and up on Spike or MTV (who already air gameshows), so dont get your hopes up they will air esports on the most successful channel in the US. Not gonna happen, it's ridiculous.
CBS doesn't own those though. It will be on a CBS channel which means either CW, Showtime, CBS, or CBS Sports.
One of those sticks out.
Your talking about CBS Corporation which own's Showtime, CW etc, that is correct but CBS also owns Viacom (used to be under the same umbrella as CBS Corporation) which owns small cable channels like Spike, MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon.
CBS Corporation doesn´t have channels where they can air something like esports. CW is not a option, Showtime is not a option, CBS Sports is not a option. And i already hear you think why not CBS Sports... well wrong demographic.
So again, the only option is on channels from Viacom and looking at the demographic you and up with MTV (would make most sense) or Spike.
Really? According to this, CBS Corp owns the CBS broadcast network, and the Viacom properties (MTV et al.) are separate.
Long story short: CBS is going to air MLG, but what, when, and where exactly is unkown at this point. They have a reason to do so: they want more viewership and thus more money. Nerds are also notoriously hard to get to watch TV, as we'd rather be gaming or watching someone else game. "We can always pirate it/download it/watch it on Hulu/Netflix/Amazon/YouTube later" is something I'm sure you've heard more than once.
Quality on TV will undoubtedly be higher than the free streams, so there's that.
One major losing point is the lack of switching between streams. That flexibility is not easily accomplished (unless they broadcast over 4 channels, heh) and I think it's going to be hard directing viewers away from that and any tournament restructuring to facilitate one channel would be a step back. Maybe they'll throw the premium channel on TV and have the free streams + premium on the interwebs.
On June 10 2012 22:07 TheSir wrote: Lol no way it will be broadcasted on CBS, esports isn't ready for a big channel like that. Not to mention CBS doesn't even have timeslots for things like that. Their worst performing shows get like 6 million views (only US residents), esports doesn't even pulls off 10% of that with views from all over the world. It would be their worst performing show of all time, they wont do that.
10 bucks it will and up on Spike or MTV (who already air gameshows), so dont get your hopes up they will air esports on the most successful channel in the US. Not gonna happen, it's ridiculous.
CBS doesn't own those though. It will be on a CBS channel which means either CW, Showtime, CBS, or CBS Sports.
One of those sticks out.
Your talking about CBS Corporation which own's Showtime, CW etc, that is correct but CBS also owns Viacom (used to be under the same umbrella as CBS Corporation) which owns small cable channels like Spike, MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon.
CBS Corporation doesn´t have channels where they can air something like esports. CW is not a option, Showtime is not a option, CBS Sports is not a option. And i already hear you think why not CBS Sports... well wrong demographic.
So again, the only option is on channels from Viacom and looking at the demographic you and up with MTV (would make most sense) or Spike.
Really? According to this, CBS Corp owns the CBS broadcast network, and the Viacom properties (MTV et al.) are separate.
Yes really, their just separate companies but all with the same shareholders (Redstone).
I, for one, would have any channel broadcasting Starcraft, or for that matter, any eSports content, turned on in the background 24/7. Really don't watch very much TV and have done this in the past for things I cared much less about, like House marathons of episodes I've seen multiple times.
Major note, I find the title very misleading since its CBSi channel and not "CBS" itself. Very big difference that needs to be made between the two in terms of how many they reach.
On June 10 2012 22:07 TheSir wrote: Lol no way it will be broadcasted on CBS, esports isn't ready for a big channel like that. Not to mention CBS doesn't even have timeslots for things like that. Their worst performing shows get like 6 million views (only US residents), esports doesn't even pulls off 10% of that with views from all over the world. It would be their worst performing show of all time, they wont do that.
10 bucks it will and up on Spike or MTV (who already air gameshows), so dont get your hopes up they will air esports on the most successful channel in the US. Not gonna happen, it's ridiculous.
Plus MLG occurs on the weekends. CBS has rights to SEC football games on Saturdays and AFC NFL games on Sunday, which are probably their most watched time slots.
Long story short: CBS is going to air MLG, but what, when, and where exactly is unkown at this point. They have a reason to do so: they want more viewership and thus more money. Nerds are also notoriously hard to get to watch TV, as we'd rather be gaming or watching someone else game. "We can always pirate it/download it/watch it on Hulu/Netflix/Amazon/YouTube later" is something I'm sure you've heard more than once.
Quality on TV will undoubtedly be higher than the free streams, so there's that.
One major losing point is the lack of switching between streams. That flexibility is not easily accomplished (unless they broadcast over 4 channels, heh) and I think it's going to be hard directing viewers away from that and any tournament restructuring to facilitate one channel would be a step back. Maybe they'll throw the premium channel on TV and have the free streams + premium on the interwebs.
I think the main reason it would be on TV would be to attract a larger casual audience. People who know about MLG and about pro-gaming would most likely be watching an online stream instead of watching it on cable.
It's too early to tell anything as we don't know much of anything.
On June 10 2012 19:54 Jinsho wrote: What kind of channel is CBS? Is it pay per view, cable, terrestric? How widely spread is it throughout the US?
It's one of the core free channels in the US. Think of ABC, NBC, CBS, etc. It's not something like CNN which would require cable for access. Basically anyone and everyone in the US with the most basic TV/network setup should be able to tune in. Someone like you from across the pond could probably tune in as well, though I've never looked into that type of thing.
On June 10 2012 23:38 sCCrooked wrote: Major note, I find the title very misleading since its CBSi channel and not "CBS" itself. Very big difference that needs to be made between the two in terms of how many they reach.
Oops. That is a big difference. OP should edit title for accuracy
i cant see how cbs would put this on nationally, mlg only gets 80k? viewers no way they can do this and not lose money. some how i think this will still be online only. i think this is very misleading op.
On June 10 2012 23:53 jax1492 wrote: i cant see how cbs would put this on nationally, mlg only gets 80k? viewers no way they can do this and not lose money. some how i think this will still be online only.
On June 10 2012 23:53 jax1492 wrote: i cant see how cbs would put this on nationally, mlg only gets 80k? viewers no way they can do this and not lose money. some how i think this will still be online only.
MLG 80k, what? more like 200k +
concurrent on the sc2 stream is what i was saying sorry, i know LoL pulls like 200k on their stream ... but to be honest i would not watch lol if it was on tv.
Long story short: CBS is going to air MLG, but what, when, and where exactly is unkown at this point. They have a reason to do so: they want more viewership and thus more money. Nerds are also notoriously hard to get to watch TV, as we'd rather be gaming or watching someone else game. "We can always pirate it/download it/watch it on Hulu/Netflix/Amazon/YouTube later" is something I'm sure you've heard more than once.
Quality on TV will undoubtedly be higher than the free streams, so there's that.
One major losing point is the lack of switching between streams. That flexibility is not easily accomplished (unless they broadcast over 4 channels, heh) and I think it's going to be hard directing viewers away from that and any tournament restructuring to facilitate one channel would be a step back. Maybe they'll throw the premium channel on TV and have the free streams + premium on the interwebs.
Yes and no. I expect that the production values might be higher (presuming they take it seriously.) But that's only if they have their own people running the show. If they just show the MLG stream on TV then it will be the same and/or slightly lower quality since I don't believe most broadcasts on TV are 1080p.
On June 10 2012 23:53 jax1492 wrote: i cant see how cbs would put this on nationally, mlg only gets 80k? viewers no way they can do this and not lose money. some how i think this will still be online only.
MLG 80k, what? more like 200k +
concurrent on the sc2 stream is what i was saying sorry, i know LoL pulls like 200k on their stream ... but to be honest i would not watch lol if it was on tv.
Ah I see, TBH I wouldn't be surprised if SC2 had 300k viewers because of the Kespa players this weekend.
I don't know if this was already mentioned, but MLG has already been on TV before. Years back, they had a segment on ESPN early saturday mornings for Halo 2. I don't believe it was a full timeslot, and I suspect that it will probably be something similar with StarCraft 2 and CBS.
On June 11 2012 00:29 BigLighthouse wrote: So this will be just the same as the IEM shit that got put on Eurosport a few years back? If so.. well I guess im not getting my hopes at just yet.
You want to detail that for a guy that's only been around 2 years?
On June 11 2012 00:29 BigLighthouse wrote: So this will be just the same as the IEM shit that got put on Eurosport a few years back? If so.. well I guess im not getting my hopes at just yet.
You want to detail that for a guy that's only been around 2 years?
Eurosport did 4 programs i think or so repotage about esports at IEM back in 2011. But it was all bought by Intel cause they wehere constantly filming intel logos
Cool and all, but i still don't think being on tv is a huge step forwards. I guess for the sake of advertising and just getting the event out there it'll help, but everything is coming to the internet right now. Tv series are being streamed and uploaded to official company channel owned websites, the latest tv's come with internet capability (that should be the biggest hint).
I see the good in it, but i also hope nothing bad comes of this.
Best of luck to MLG in this, I want to see you guys succeed!
-It'll probably be in a narrow timeslot. -As soon as a caster curses or says something inappropriate we're off the air. -Hardly anyone is going to tune in. -The broadcast will be delayed.
On June 11 2012 00:46 jeeeeohn wrote: I'm pessimistic about this.
-It'll probably be in a narrow timeslot. -As soon as a caster curses or says something inappropriate we're off the air. -Hardly anyone is going to tune in. -The broadcast will be delayed.
Other than that it's pretty cool!
Who pissed in your wheaties this morning? This is AWESOME news and I am extremely excited.
i've been confused as to why G4 hasn't picked up on e-sports, the only mentions i ever saw were internet articles. Also G4 is small enough and the type of audience is just perfect. idk. CBS seems a bit too large of a jump.
I am not sure how this will work out but i can hope for the best (with cbs that is)
On June 11 2012 00:46 jeeeeohn wrote: I'm pessimistic about this.
-It'll probably be in a narrow timeslot. -As soon as a caster curses or says something inappropriate we're off the air. -Hardly anyone is going to tune in. -The broadcast will be delayed.
Other than that it's pretty cool!
Who pissed in your wheaties this morning? This is AWESOME news and I am extremely excited.
Just enjoy something and be happy about it
I'm pretty good at recognizing whether something is legitimately exciting, or whether something it going to be horribly marginalized. Nothing I've read so far indicates the former, and the American audience indicates the latter. If there aren't millions of people talking about this around their watercoolers, it's going to be on a fringe channel, probably for pay-per-view.
On June 11 2012 00:45 Spacekyod wrote: Cool and all, but i still don't think being on tv is a huge step forwards. I guess for the sake of advertising and just getting the event out there it'll help, but everything is coming to the internet right now. Tv series are being streamed and uploaded to official company channel owned websites, the latest tv's come with internet capability (that should be the biggest hint).
I see the good in it, but i also hope nothing bad comes of this.
Best of luck to MLG in this, I want to see you guys succeed!
Gotta agree on that. I suspect the most important thing from this will be drawing in TV advertisers who are afraid to dip their toes in the internet pool. But maybe it will drag them in, even if the TV broadcast isn't extremely successful.
that was darned epic, and you have a good idea, also to the guy above me, esports needs tv for growth, otherwise million dollar salaries will never exist in 5-10 years from now for progamers.
"CBS Interactive Games, which has an exclusive partnership with MLG to sell advertising for its events"
So, CBSi has an exclusive partnership with MLG only now? They're not partnered with IPL, DreamHack, GSL, IEM anymore? What about that 96% advertisement market?
On June 11 2012 01:05 NoGasfOu wrote: "CBS Interactive Games, which has an exclusive partnership with MLG to sell advertising for its events"
So, CBSi has an exclusive partnership with MLG only now? They're not partnered with IPL, DreamHack, GSL, IEM anymore? What about that 96% advertisement market?
It's exclusive for MLG. CBS can do whatever they want.
On June 11 2012 01:05 NoGasfOu wrote: "CBS Interactive Games, which has an exclusive partnership with MLG to sell advertising for its events"
So, CBSi has an exclusive partnership with MLG only now? They're not partnered with IPL, DreamHack, GSL, IEM anymore? What about that 96% advertisement market?
CBSi is exclusive with MLG, NASL, TwitchTV and Own3d. (I think). The partnership carries through to IPL, Dreamhack, IEM because of their partnerships with TwitchTV. (I think).
On June 11 2012 00:29 BigLighthouse wrote: So this will be just the same as the IEM shit that got put on Eurosport a few years back? If so.. well I guess im not getting my hopes at just yet.
You want to detail that for a guy that's only been around 2 years?
Eurosport did 4 programs i think or so repotage about esports at IEM back in 2011. But it was all bought by Intel cause they wehere constantly filming intel logos
I've seen the German versions of these programs back then and they were really not worth watching. They were broadcast at 1:30 am on some consecutive Saturdays, and they were only like a quarter of an hour long.. lets hope MLG and CBS do it differently.
On June 10 2012 22:07 TheSir wrote: Lol no way it will be broadcasted on CBS, esports isn't ready for a big channel like that. Not to mention CBS doesn't even have timeslots for things like that. Their worst performing shows get like 6 million views (only US residents), esports doesn't even pulls off 10% of that with views from all over the world. It would be their worst performing show of all time, they wont do that.
10 bucks it will and up on Spike or MTV (who already air gameshows), so dont get your hopes up they will air esports on the most successful channel in the US. Not gonna happen, it's ridiculous.
Thank you for being the only realistic person here. "ESPORTS" is far far away from being on TV simply due to viewership numbers.
Yeah, people here prefer watching Jerry Springer and all the funky shows where teenage girls come out and tell the world how many people they've had sex and how bad they are. They can show all the stupid car chase programs and women catching their boyfriends having affair but not Starcraft.
I doubt they'll broadcast this on the regular CBS channel at first. I would guess they would show it on CBS sports network. Still huge for the scene, and hopefully it will transition to the TV screen smoothly
Posted this in the reddit thread and I'll say it again here. No where in the article does it say that MLG will be on TV. All it says it that CBS will broadcast it. CBS is a channel yes, but CBS is also a company with many non-tv routes for broadcasting. While its awesome that CBS will broadcast esports this year, it will likely be through an online medium given that they now own the advertising rights for most streams and such.
On June 10 2012 23:38 sCCrooked wrote: Major note, I find the title very misleading since its CBSi channel and not "CBS" itself. Very big difference that needs to be made between the two in terms of how many they reach.
Oops. That is a big difference. OP should edit title for accuracy
Pretty sure there is no such thing as the CBSi channel. CBSi is just a division that owns a bunch of websites and stuff.
On June 10 2012 22:07 TheSir wrote: Lol no way it will be broadcasted on CBS, esports isn't ready for a big channel like that. Not to mention CBS doesn't even have timeslots for things like that. Their worst performing shows get like 6 million views (only US residents), esports doesn't even pulls off 10% of that with views from all over the world. It would be their worst performing show of all time, they wont do that.
10 bucks it will and up on Spike or MTV (who already air gameshows), so dont get your hopes up they will air esports on the most successful channel in the US. Not gonna happen, it's ridiculous.
Thank you for being the only realistic person here. "ESPORTS" is far far away from being on TV simply due to viewership numbers.
Yeah, people here prefer watching Jerry Springer and all the funky shows where teenage girls come out and tell the world how many people they've had sex and how bad they are. They can show all the stupid car chase programs and women catching their boyfriends having affair but not Starcraft.
Pretty much, yeah. I'm not sure if you thought you were joking, but that hits the nail on the head.
The television is to my parents generation what the internet is to mine. It seems to me the majority of the people who watch eSports, including me, mainly use the internet and not the television for their main source of entertainment/news etc. In my opinion, unless CBSi and MLG have a different strategy and plan as before we might see the same results as 5 years ago.
so they will air 12 hours of starcraft with ambiguous amounts of downtime between the games?
I can't see this being what everyone thinks it will be, TV is a dying duck anyways, everything will be some form of hybrid internet TV etc in a year or two anyways
On June 11 2012 01:21 Achilles17 wrote: The television is to my parents generation what the internet is to mine. It seems to me the majority of the people who watch eSports, including me, mainly use the internet and not the television for their main source of entertainment/news etc. In my opinion, unless CBSi and MLG have a different strategy and plan as before we might see the same results as 5 years ago.
Right, people who watch it mainly use the internet. That's true by definition, since it's only on the internet. But even among young people, watching TV is still extremely popular. It's not just your parent's generation. It will take many years for the internet to surpass TV in terms of popularity for watching shows, so if you want it to grow a lot before then, TV is needed.
I really hope they give this sports-type treatment, though. If it's a set one-hour block, it won't work. You need the sort of flexible time and live coverage that are needed for sports. It's fine with me if they only show the finals of a tournament or something like that, but whatever they do show needs to be shown fully.
I also think if they want to get big numbers, they need to make it so that people who already watch online are incentivized to watch on TV. Maybe that means broadcasting for free something like the finals of an MLG arena that would be pay-per-view online or something like that.
On June 11 2012 01:27 mememolly wrote: so they will air 12 hours of starcraft with ambiguous amounts of downtime between the games?
I can't see this being what everyone thinks it will be, TV is a dying duck anyways, everything will be some form of hybrid internet TV etc in a year or two anyways
I don't think anyone is expecting something similar to a MLG event stream (unless they go PPV), but probably more like an hour long TV show shot and edited in advance for broadcast.
On June 11 2012 01:27 mememolly wrote: so they will air 12 hours of starcraft with ambiguous amounts of downtime between the games?
I can't see this being what everyone thinks it will be, TV is a dying duck anyways, everything will be some form of hybrid internet TV etc in a year or two anyways
lol do you even know the numbers? the old dino tv setup is still booming (even still in development) and this wont change for a long, long time.
On June 10 2012 23:38 sCCrooked wrote: Major note, I find the title very misleading since its CBSi channel and not "CBS" itself. Very big difference that needs to be made between the two in terms of how many they reach.
Oops. That is a big difference. OP should edit title for accuracy
Pretty sure there is no such thing as the CBSi channel. CBSi is just a division that owns a bunch of websites and stuff.
Yup. Which clearly implies it would be some type of online program, which is utterly nothing close to straight up "on the air" broadcasted TV
Regarding MLG on TV - recent article jumped the gun. Not a done deal but definitly something that we are exploring.
So basically Forbes published an article about something that is probably very far out and might not even happen.If you notice, despite quoting a ton of people about different stuff, the writer never got a direct quote about the television deal aside from "we’re looking into a broadcast component on CBS this fall,” which is hardly an official confirmation as the attention grabbing headline would make it seem.
On June 10 2012 23:38 sCCrooked wrote: Major note, I find the title very misleading since its CBSi channel and not "CBS" itself. Very big difference that needs to be made between the two in terms of how many they reach.
Oops. That is a big difference. OP should edit title for accuracy
Pretty sure there is no such thing as the CBSi channel. CBSi is just a division that owns a bunch of websites and stuff.
Yup. Which clearly implies it would be some type of online program, which is utterly nothing close to straight up "on the air" broadcasted TV
The title of the article wouldn't say "on TV" if it was talking about an online program. Sundance's tweet also indicates TV even if they're only exploring it as of now.
On June 10 2012 22:07 TheSir wrote: Lol no way it will be broadcasted on CBS, esports isn't ready for a big channel like that. Not to mention CBS doesn't even have timeslots for things like that. Their worst performing shows get like 6 million views (only US residents), esports doesn't even pulls off 10% of that with views from all over the world. It would be their worst performing show of all time, they wont do that.
10 bucks it will and up on Spike or MTV (who already air gameshows), so dont get your hopes up they will air esports on the most successful channel in the US. Not gonna happen, it's ridiculous.
Great idea, they should have done this long time ago. Just throw it on tv and se what happens, maybe around a gaming show wich discusses new games and such,think they will be suprised by how manny people will watch it. Have a bit more confidence in the entertainmentvalue of sc,even for people who dont play it and understand it to well (i watched sc before i started playing it) Sc is fun to watch without to much knowledge (contrary to lol)
It probably won't be CBS itself, but will likely be one of the other networks they own. A good possibility is the CBS Sports Network, which is something the company is trying to grow. They recently signed Jim Rome to a contract to do his show there. This is pretty good for MLG, lets hope they can maximize this!
We are now in Korea! (I'm kidding) This is great! Looks like now we can just tune in on TV and witness some awesome Esports just like the BW days in South Korea. Esports is growing and I'm am so proud to be "part" of this moment in the history of Humanity! Then again, scepticism is quite contagious... Reading some of these posts...
A 30 or 60 minute weekly segment on SpikeTV on Sunday afternoon...at best.
Most likely just featuring MLG on Gamespot...which it already does. There is NOTHING in the article that states MLG will actually be on an actual television channel. All the article says is that CBS as a company, through CBS interactive which owns Gamespot, will distribute content from MLG.
So most likely we'll just see more MLG stuff on Gamespot than we already do now, and given the view count and comments there, MLG segments/contents haven't been popular on that site.
Well... IEM had a show on Eurosports, zdf info (german) broadcasted german EPS playdays and IEM matches. 5 or 6 years ago there was a weekly show on Giga (german cable channel, does not exist anymore afaik) showing the wc3 EPS. And german DSF (sports cable channel) had a weekly show broadcasting a Fifa Soccer league. It never really made a difference and it did not help eSports breaking through in normal TV. The ESL had quite a few projects with eSports in TV throughout the years and I am pretty sure it never really paid off and I am pretty sure it never will.
I don't think eSports will ever be successfull in standard TV and I don't think it has to be. TV will be around for some other decades but it will change drastically. I am pretty sure that in some time all TV Signals will be broadcasted via internet anyways and traditional TV will more and more have to adjust to the modern broadcasting techniques and media that eSports uses already today and which are "natural" to eSports... And not the other way round.
We'll see which channel they will use. MTV seems like a good guess, since MTV already broadcasted a major eSports tourney in the past.. It was the WSVG (World Series of Video Games) in case you don't remember and guess where WSVG is now? Yep, they went bust... Just like some of the other major US organisations that tried to market eSports very aggressively and conquer the market for themselves. I hope MLG's plans are a bit more sustainable than CPL, WSVG or CGS.
And maybe you can reach a lot more households via cable TV... But the additional people you reach are most likely not interested in eSports. Everyone interested in eSports is using the internet for entertainment anyways. And ppl that are not yet into eSports won't watch it on TV.
I hope there are going to be restreams, if/when this actually goes down, for us non US residents. I get that would not be in the full respect of cbs' rights maybe, still, "pirate" viewers is better than less viewers overall..
It would be lucky to get on tv at all even random channel 70 something. I do think starcraft is deeper and more complex then poker, but the problem is poker has image of being cool with lots of money involved. Also who has never played poker? Its a game with mass appeal because everyone plays cards and it has history. Starcraft does not have that and its a tough barrier to overcome if it ever can. Starcraft is much more appealing to watch if you play the game yourself Anyone that thinks television is going to away or radically changing has been watching too much star trek or star wars its a basic thing everyone uses its not going anywhere in next decades.
Doubt this will be a succes if it happens. People that follow Esports barely watch TV anymore. And people that watch TV don't care about Esports. Even gamers in general don't really care about Esports. Just check out replies to the (rare) sc2 articles on IGN. Lot's of bashing about 'lol why watch others play'.
There's an elephant in the room here no one is acknowledging...
If MLG is broadcast on TV, then is it not likely that the free stream will no longer exist? What other sporting event has a free stream online in addition to a television broadcast?
Interesting point, HPig. I would think MLG wants to make a safe transition, so a majority of their content will still be streamed in their current format. Free to watch, pay for HD/extra content.
Further down the future, though? Remains a complete mystery outside of MLG and their partners.
On June 11 2012 07:23 HawaiianPig wrote: There's an elephant in the room here no one is acknowledging...
If MLG is broadcast on TV, then is it not likely that the free stream will no longer exist? What other sporting event has a free stream online in addition to a television broadcast?
MLG did something similar to this with halo on USA channel, and the event was aired on TV later and wasn't live. It had production value and such, wasn't like watching a live stream.
Sweden will do this on national television during Dreamhack Winter, Dreamhack Summer is featured on the website of the SVT-channel's web service. I understand that forcing e-sports out there is rough, but it can still create awareness and inspire a huge amount of people. Then again, haters are always going to hate.
On June 11 2012 07:23 HawaiianPig wrote: There's an elephant in the room here no one is acknowledging...
If MLG is broadcast on TV, then is it not likely that the free stream will no longer exist? What other sporting event has a free stream online in addition to a television broadcast?
On June 11 2012 07:23 HawaiianPig wrote: There's an elephant in the room here no one is acknowledging...
If MLG is broadcast on TV, then is it not likely that the free stream will no longer exist? What other sporting event has a free stream online in addition to a television broadcast?
The free stream has ads as does the TV station. I don't see the issue. The TV viewing medium is more "normal" and mainstream. Even though there is a online option that is free, that doesn't mean the TV time is a bad idea.
On June 10 2012 19:54 Jinsho wrote: What kind of channel is CBS? Is it pay per view, cable, terrestric? How widely spread is it throughout the US?
CBS is considered one of the big 3 in the US. The reasoning behind this was because CBS, NBC, and ABC were 3 of the original networks on television in the US where each respectively became huge. Thus when cable came out CBS, NBC, and ABC were 3 of the channels that if you only had an antenna and no cable hook up you were still able to watch. Most big name shows that didn't cost money to watch or sporting events were and still are broad-casted on these channels. So this is a pretty huge deal if what is said to be accurate in the OP.
On June 11 2012 07:23 HawaiianPig wrote: There's an elephant in the room here no one is acknowledging...
If MLG is broadcast on TV, then is it not likely that the free stream will no longer exist? What other sporting event has a free stream online in addition to a television broadcast?
Most sports that are broadcasted in the US you can find streams for now. ESPN is a big name one now that you can usually stream the big name events if you have the right set up. If anything generating revenue from a broadcast on TV is all the more reason to provide a free stream for those who don't have access to CBS outside of the US or NA
Should the title of this be changed so that people stop thinking that this is a confirmed, well documented article without reading it or Sundance's tweet? It seems to be more "CBS might broadcast some component of MLG this fall"
I think its a smart move by CBS. It costs them next to nothing, and they're the first network into the esports industry. Very little risk for a large potential gain.
On June 11 2012 07:23 HawaiianPig wrote: There's an elephant in the room here no one is acknowledging...
If MLG is broadcast on TV, then is it not likely that the free stream will no longer exist? What other sporting event has a free stream online in addition to a television broadcast?
Most sports that are broadcasted in the US you can find streams for now. ESPN is a big name one now that you can usually stream the big name events if you have the right set up. If anything generating revenue from a broadcast on TV is all the more reason to provide a free stream for those who don't have access to CBS outside of the US or NA
ESPN3, a stream site, broadcasts certain sporting events. Sometimes side by side with the televised stream. It isn't unprecedented but this situation is definitely unique (if it ever comes to fruition).
not to criticize the editorial staff, but shouldn't the title of the thread be corrected to 'may' instead of 'will' per sundance's tweet? It doesn't seem like a done deal as of right now.
Point of interest: Sundance did this last year too. He said that MLG was going to be broadcast on ESPN (IIRC, could be wrong channel) then went back and said it was only in discussion. Then nothing came of it.
don't see this venture working out. esports will and should always coincide with the internet; where people watch what they want, when they want. it is a matter of demographics. people who want to, and do watch esports regularly probably don't watch much television.
also, television is a dying breed, and as such investments and ventures will net little. the best bet would be to create partnerships with sponsors to include mention in commercial or short 10 min spots.
esports WANTS people to be watching on the internet, and blowing shit up on social media; subsequently keeping up with emerging tech.
On June 11 2012 09:15 tronix wrote: don't see this venture working out. esports will and should always coincide with the internet; where people watch what they want, when they want. it is a matter of demographics. people who want to, and do watch esports regularly probably don't watch much television.
also, television is a dying breed, and as such investments and ventures will net little. the best bet would be to create partnerships with sponsors to include mention in commercial or short 10 min spots.
esports WANTS people to be watching on the internet, and blowing shit up on social media; subsequently keeping up with emerging tech.
There's no harm in trying though, if they are successful then there will be more competition in the media space for eSports.
On June 11 2012 09:15 tronix wrote: don't see this venture working out. esports will and should always coincide with the internet; where people watch what they want, when they want. it is a matter of demographics. people who want to, and do watch esports regularly probably don't watch much television.
also, television is a dying breed, and as such investments and ventures will net little. the best bet would be to create partnerships with sponsors to include mention in commercial or short 10 min spots.
esports WANTS people to be watching on the internet, and blowing shit up on social media; subsequently keeping up with emerging tech.
I'm not sure I get this? TV is not going away any time soon even if internet content is on the rise. Esports wants as many eyes on it as possible and TV is definitely a way to get a lot more people watching that wouldn't otherwise. BW spread in Korea through TV stations I see no reason why SC2 would not be helped in a similar way here.
On June 11 2012 09:15 tronix wrote: don't see this venture working out. esports will and should always coincide with the internet; where people watch what they want, when they want. it is a matter of demographics. people who want to, and do watch esports regularly probably don't watch much television.
also, television is a dying breed, and as such investments and ventures will net little. the best bet would be to create partnerships with sponsors to include mention in commercial or short 10 min spots.
esports WANTS people to be watching on the internet, and blowing shit up on social media; subsequently keeping up with emerging tech.
I'm not sure I get this? TV is not going away any time soon even if internet content is on the rise. Esports wants as many eyes on it as possible and TV is definitely a way to get a lot more people watching that wouldn't otherwise. BW spread in Korea through TV stations I see no reason why SC2 would not be helped in a similar way here.
Exactly my thoughts. Especially considering that there are still so many people who watch stuff just because its on TV. And some Starcraft Tournaments allready got 100k+ viewers that all knew how to tune in. Even if its not that hard to figure out its still requires a lot more then turning on the TV.
On June 11 2012 09:46 Bedrock wrote: There's no harm in trying though, if they are successful then there will be more competition in the media space for eSports.
actually, as others have pointed out; doing something like this too soon could be bad. it's a common saying that first impressions are everything. if mlg/esports get spotlighted while still in its infancy it could backfire. a bad showing on television would just show sponsors that esports can be counted as nothing more as kids/nerds playing video games. it doesn't work where getting on television makes you popular; rather you are popular and therefore on television.
anywho, i don't think this is about television at all. more so an attempt to reach out to a broader reaching internet news source.
On June 11 2012 09:55 dcsoda wrote: I'm not sure I get this? TV is not going away any time soon even if internet content is on the rise. Esports wants as many eyes on it as possible and TV is definitely a way to get a lot more people watching that wouldn't otherwise. BW spread in Korea through TV stations I see no reason why SC2 would not be helped in a similar way here.
would it be good if esports was on tv? yes it would. i'm just saying that as a business venture there are other more worthy ways to spend time and resources. if it takes little to none of either of those; then by all means go for it.
also, BW on television started in an age of dial-up where broadband let alone streaming did not exist.
People don't have a problem with IdrA as one of the representatives, given how this community responds to various words being used in game chat ? I find this particularly interesting.
On June 11 2012 07:23 HawaiianPig wrote: There's an elephant in the room here no one is acknowledging...
If MLG is broadcast on TV, then is it not likely that the free stream will no longer exist? What other sporting event has a free stream online in addition to a television broadcast?
The free stream has ads as does the TV station. I don't see the issue. The TV viewing medium is more "normal" and mainstream. Even though there is a online option that is free, that doesn't mean the TV time is a bad idea.
In the U.S., during football season the NFL is played on Sunday afternoons but there's a game on Sunday night and Monday night as well. The game on sunday night is called Sunday Night Football on NBC, but you can also watch a really great stream of it on NBC's football website, with different camera angles and everything, for free.
So no, it's not too common because TV only has been the business model for so long, and the NFL is the most economically successful sport in the U.S., but yes it does exist. It just depends on what the network wants to do--CBS and FOX don't stream their sports online afaik (and they broadcast like all the other NFL games), but NBC does.
On June 11 2012 10:39 Kaitlin wrote: People don't have a problem with IdrA as one of the representatives, given how this community responds to various words being used in game chat ? I find this particularly interesting.
I personally do not have a problem with IdrA as one of the representatives. If T.O. and Randy Moss and people like that can be on TV representing a sport, why not IdrA? Yes, this is a brand new venture, but also no one seems to take into account how much more tame IdrA has been in recent months.
On June 10 2012 22:07 TheSir wrote: Lol no way it will be broadcasted on CBS, esports isn't ready for a big channel like that. Not to mention CBS doesn't even have timeslots for things like that. Their worst performing shows get like 6 million views (only US residents), esports doesn't even pulls off 10% of that with views from all over the world. It would be their worst performing show of all time, they wont do that.
10 bucks it will and up on Spike or MTV (who already air gameshows), so dont get your hopes up they will air esports on the most successful channel in the US. Not gonna happen, it's ridiculous.
Who cares, if its on any tv channel including G4TV it will boost huge numbers compared to a little stream
CBSi Games has hired pro gamers to complement its coverage of eSports. TSquared and Mrs. Violence were both in Anaheim with camera crews to provide original streaming coverage of the event. Additional pro gamers that CBSi is working with include Huk, Grubby, InControl and Idra on Starcraft II. They’re also working with Starcraft casters like Husky.
CBSi Games has hired pro gamers to complement its coverage of eSports. TSquared and Mrs. Violence were both in Anaheim with camera crews to provide original streaming coverage of the event. Additional pro gamers that CBSi is working with include Huk, Grubby, InControl and Idra on Starcraft II. They’re also working with Starcraft casters like Husky.
On June 11 2012 09:46 Bedrock wrote: There's no harm in trying though, if they are successful then there will be more competition in the media space for eSports.
actually, as others have pointed out; doing something like this too soon could be bad. it's a common saying that first impressions are everything. if mlg/esports get spotlighted while still in its infancy it could backfire. a bad showing on television would just show sponsors that esports can be counted as nothing more as kids/nerds playing video games. it doesn't work where getting on television makes you popular; rather you are popular and therefore on television.
anywho, i don't think this is about television at all. more so an attempt to reach out to a broader reaching internet news source.
Yup, I understand. This isn't too soon though, it's actually much later than a risky time when SC2 was not on the circuit. I'm pretty sure a lot of people remember when MLG was on ESPN awhile back with Halo. Ugh.. while the production value on it was absolutely fantastic, the viewership numbers didn't back up what was expected. Times have changed since then, and it could be the prime time period where it could work... but obviously it's possible that it will fail miserably on TV and ultimately, we will all have what we want: eSports on the Internet, but with new viewers.
And yes, I totally agree with you about the reach.
I'd be very surprised if this ended up on CBS proper. More likely some CBS sports channel. Not sure exactly what kind of content they'd do. Perhaps broadcasting some top games late? Or some sort of wrap-up show where they do highlights? I'm interested to see where this goes!
This is so awesome, I really can't wait for SC2 to be on TV, even if it is just one day for a few hours, like championship sunday of MLG's every few months, it will be FANTASTIC!
On June 10 2012 23:38 sCCrooked wrote: Major note, I find the title very misleading since its CBSi channel and not "CBS" itself. Very big difference that needs to be made between the two in terms of how many they reach.
Oops. That is a big difference. OP should edit title for accuracy
Pretty sure there is no such thing as the CBSi channel. CBSi is just a division that owns a bunch of websites and stuff.
Yup. Which clearly implies it would be some type of online program, which is utterly nothing close to straight up "on the air" broadcasted TV
The title of the article wouldn't say "on TV" if it was talking about an online program. Sundance's tweet also indicates TV even if they're only exploring it as of now.
K. So the guy who said it was CBSi was wrong. Whatever.
So why is this "maybe" on the front page of TL while theres nothing about SVT (Swedish version of BBC or the likes) confirming live broadcasting from Dreamhack Summer?
On June 11 2012 16:17 wihlborg wrote: So why is this "maybe" on the front page of TL while theres nothing about SVT (Swedish version of BBC or the likes) confirming live broadcasting from Dreamhack Summer?
1) Only old people watch SVT 2) In Sweden, everyone has a gosu internet connection 3) In our generation, almost everyone gets the majority of their entertainment (film/tv shows) from the internets
If MLG is televised and Husky is casting it'll be an embarrassment for the whole community.. I really hope they get someone decent (Tastetosis or Day9 and/or Apollo) to cast.
The fall is such a weird time to pick. I mean if they picked Spring or summer they could just broadjust an MLG event and have no fear but in fall going head to head with football is a death sentence for any television program.
On June 11 2012 16:17 wihlborg wrote: So why is this "maybe" on the front page of TL while theres nothing about SVT (Swedish version of BBC or the likes) confirming live broadcasting from Dreamhack Summer?
1) Only old people watch SVT 2) In Sweden, everyone has a gosu internet connection 3) In our generation, almost everyone gets the majority of their entertainment (film/tv shows) from the internets
On June 11 2012 19:06 Adreme wrote: The fall is such a weird time to pick. I mean if they picked Spring or summer they could just broadjust an MLG event and have no fear but in fall going head to head with football is a death sentence for any television program.
Cause it's not gonna happen this fall, Sundance already said that the journalist who wrote the article jumped the gun. It's bogus news and it doesn't matter against what shows you gonna air it. It will have the lowest ratings of all times no matter what, your not gonna get 500k viewers only from US residents on a esports show and even that kind of numbers will place you at the bottom.
On June 11 2012 19:06 Adreme wrote: The fall is such a weird time to pick. I mean if they picked Spring or summer they could just broadjust an MLG event and have no fear but in fall going head to head with football is a death sentence for any television program.
Cause it's not gonna happen this fall, Sundance already said that the journalist who wrote the article jumped the gun. It's bogus news and it doesn't matter against what shows you gonna air it. It will have the lowest ratings of all times no matter what, your not gonna get 500k viewers only from US residents on a esports show and even that kind of numbers will place you at the bottom.
You are slightly underestimating the amount of people who just watch a channel. Getting 500k people would not be a hard feat depending on station they are on and in many cases would not be a sign of success.
On June 11 2012 19:06 Adreme wrote: The fall is such a weird time to pick. I mean if they picked Spring or summer they could just broadjust an MLG event and have no fear but in fall going head to head with football is a death sentence for any television program.
Cause it's not gonna happen this fall, Sundance already said that the journalist who wrote the article jumped the gun. It's bogus news and it doesn't matter against what shows you gonna air it. It will have the lowest ratings of all times no matter what, your not gonna get 500k viewers only from US residents on a esports show and even that kind of numbers will place you at the bottom.
I think the idea isnt "HOLY SHIT AN ESPORTS SHOW IS ON GET THE REMOTE" it's more of a flicking through the channels and being like "professional computer games? dafuq?" and staying on it out of curiosity (everyone does this, I do it with modelling shows and stuff occasionally, or cooking stuff) . It's not about pleasing US. It's about trying to bring in new viewers through, essentially, coincidence.
If there are 6 million people watching the channel when it comes on, we get 6 million viewers, it's not about the draw, it's about keeping them once we get them.
On June 11 2012 19:06 Adreme wrote: The fall is such a weird time to pick. I mean if they picked Spring or summer they could just broadjust an MLG event and have no fear but in fall going head to head with football is a death sentence for any television program.
Cause it's not gonna happen this fall, Sundance already said that the journalist who wrote the article jumped the gun. It's bogus news and it doesn't matter against what shows you gonna air it. It will have the lowest ratings of all times no matter what, your not gonna get 500k viewers only from US residents on a esports show and even that kind of numbers will place you at the bottom.
You are slightly underestimating the amount of people who just watch a channel. Getting 500k people would not be a hard feat depending on station they are on and in many cases would not be a sign of success.
Since there's no way they will air it on a broadcast network it will end up on a cable network and yes then it will be very hard to get 500k viewers on primetime. I know a lot about tv ratings and numbers and believe me, a show like that wont get 500k viewers on Spike, MTV2 or what ever.
When they do finally do this, it's going to be more like the WSOP broadcasts... It will be on delay, and will be one of those late night rerun shows that follows the players more than the actual game.
On June 11 2012 16:17 wihlborg wrote: So why is this "maybe" on the front page of TL while theres nothing about SVT (Swedish version of BBC or the likes) confirming live broadcasting from Dreamhack Summer?
1) Only old people watch SVT 2) In Sweden, everyone has a gosu internet connection 3) In our generation, almost everyone gets the majority of their entertainment (film/tv shows) from the internets
True. On top of this, their casters are Maven and Endarspire, low-end casters that bring no action, little knowledge and much hesitation to the viewers, new and old alike. Wish there was some badass Swedish caster that was up-and-coming.
However, more e-sports hype in Sweden. Can't complain!
Can possibly see a slight problem here that is more then likely already resolved lol. Championships for MLG are generally on Sunday's though in the fall here in America where CBS is prevalent football is played on channel 2-3 games a day, so how would MLG compete for air time with that as it is? Would they have to change up the dates for the events or may CBS possibly scorn a huge chunk of their Sunday audience an play one less football game?
On June 11 2012 22:30 Catatonic wrote: Can possibly see a slight problem here that is more then likely already resolved lol. Championships for MLG are generally on Sunday's though in the fall here in America where CBS is prevalent football is played on channel 2-3 games a day, so how would MLG compete for air time with that as it is? Would they have to change up the dates for the events or may CBS possibly scorn a huge chunk of their Sunday audience an play one less football game?
lol, that's like an alternate reality. There's no way they'll play less football games to accommodate SC2, no. The NFL is the U.S.'s most popular sport and the seasons are contracted to be televised on networks like CBS years in advance.
Edit: Sunday Night Football averaged 20 million+ viewers last year, the most popular show on Sunday night in the U.S.
On June 11 2012 16:17 wihlborg wrote: So why is this "maybe" on the front page of TL while theres nothing about SVT (Swedish version of BBC or the likes) confirming live broadcasting from Dreamhack Summer?
1) Only old people watch SVT 2) In Sweden, everyone has a gosu internet connection 3) In our generation, almost everyone gets the majority of their entertainment (film/tv shows) from the internets
True. On top of this, their casters are Maven and Endarspire, low-end casters that bring no action, little knowledge and much hesitation to the viewers, new and old alike. Wish there was some badass Swedish caster that was up-and-coming.
However, more e-sports hype in Sweden. Can't complain!
On June 11 2012 16:17 wihlborg wrote: So why is this "maybe" on the front page of TL while theres nothing about SVT (Swedish version of BBC or the likes) confirming live broadcasting from Dreamhack Summer?
1) Only old people watch SVT 2) In Sweden, everyone has a gosu internet connection 3) In our generation, almost everyone gets the majority of their entertainment (film/tv shows) from the internets
True. On top of this, their casters are Maven and Endarspire, low-end casters that bring no action, little knowledge and much hesitation to the viewers, new and old alike. Wish there was some badass Swedish caster that was up-and-coming.
However, more e-sports hype in Sweden. Can't complain!
They are going to use the English casters.
Source please on the they are going to use English casters, and ya, if they are going to use Swedish casters it will lower the enjoyment allot. Not only are the current Swedish casters horrible entertainers, they also are horrible at analyzing the game. And don't let me get started on their Svengelska, It's painful to listen to, it really is.
Alright, so the wiki for CBS Interactive says this: "On April 17, 2012, it was announced that Major League Gaming and CBS Interactive would be entering a partnership alongside TwitchTV to be the exclusive online broadcaster of their Pro Circuit competitions, as well as for advertising representation."
Note that it's CBS Interactive (CBSi), and that is very different from the channel that everyone in this thread is talking about. It's owned by CBS, but you're not going to see starcraft on a single digit channel. Actually, it looks like CBSi doesn't even do ANY television broadcasts.
So what we have here is an online entertainment partnership between MLG, CBSi, and TwitchTV.
On June 11 2012 20:25 BluePanther wrote: When they do finally do this, it's going to be more like the WSOP broadcasts... It will be on delay, and will be one of those late night rerun shows that follows the players more than the actual game.
Thats why they are streaming WSOP now (and last years) live (without holecards) on the internet and delayed with holecards. You just cant beat live.
On June 11 2012 16:17 wihlborg wrote: So why is this "maybe" on the front page of TL while theres nothing about SVT (Swedish version of BBC or the likes) confirming live broadcasting from Dreamhack Summer?
1) Only old people watch SVT 2) In Sweden, everyone has a gosu internet connection 3) In our generation, almost everyone gets the majority of their entertainment (film/tv shows) from the internets
True. On top of this, their casters are Maven and Endarspire, low-end casters that bring no action, little knowledge and much hesitation to the viewers, new and old alike. Wish there was some badass Swedish caster that was up-and-coming.
However, more e-sports hype in Sweden. Can't complain!
They are going to use the English casters.
Source please on the they are going to use English casters, and ya, if they are going to use Swedish casters it will lower the enjoyment allot. Not only are the current Swedish casters horrible entertainers, they also are horrible at analyzing the game. And don't let me get started on their Svengelska, It's painful to listen to, it really is.
On June 11 2012 07:23 HawaiianPig wrote: There's an elephant in the room here no one is acknowledging...
If MLG is broadcast on TV, then is it not likely that the free stream will no longer exist? What other sporting event has a free stream online in addition to a television broadcast?
Ummmm... Almost every single sporting event on ESPN barring the extremely popular ones?
EDIT: Hell even the big networks sometimes stream the huge sporting events free now too.
CBS Interactive is a subdivision of CBS Corporation that deals with online media not televised media. Not that the two have to be exclusive mind you; but the vast majority of media that is shown via online media would never make it to a nationally televised market. CBS-I deals with online media. Refer yourself here to see where you might be able to view MLG online when/if this deal gets done. Cause it wouldn't be on your Television set. My thoughts are there isn't enough of profitable market here in the United States for one of the three biggest television networks to take a risk on "esports" at this point; at least not yet (if ever). So we'll (the "esports" community) will still be watching our favorite vidge games via the internet.
On June 12 2012 00:13 Meatt wrote: Alright, so the wiki for CBS Interactive says this: "On April 17, 2012, it was announced that Major League Gaming and CBS Interactive would be entering a partnership alongside TwitchTV to be the exclusive online broadcaster of their Pro Circuit competitions, as well as for advertising representation."
Note that it's CBS Interactive (CBSi), and that is very different from the channel that everyone in this thread is talking about. It's owned by CBS, but you're not going to see starcraft on a single digit channel. Actually, it looks like CBSi doesn't even do ANY television broadcasts.
So what we have here is an online entertainment partnership between MLG, CBSi, and TwitchTV.
...right?
There is an existing online partnership (which appears to mostly take the form of CBSi selling advertising). This thread is about discussions between MLG and CBS about some form of esports content being shown on one of the TV channels owned by CBS.
This is so big. :O Finally a huge step in eSports being legitimized in the eyes of the non-gaming public. I can't express my enthusiasm toward this development.
I think a fundamental problem with this is that the people more likely to watch an e sports event, consume the majority of their entertainment via their computers. I'm sure plenty of them, have like myself, canceled their cable completely.
On June 12 2012 05:31 shankems2000 wrote: I think a fundamental problem with this is that the people more likely to watch an e sports event, consume the majority of their entertainment via their computers. I'm sure plenty of them, have like myself, canceled their cable completely.
I see where you're coming from but I don't think streams are considered a substitute for cable for most consumers as the content overlap is non-existent. Really, they are in separate markets. Now, if this were a PPV channel with the same content as the PPV stream, then it may be an issue. The number of MLG viewers that would prefer to watch events on TV compared to their PC would be an interesting statistic to have for sure!
Stating that there is a "fundamental" problem is a bit extreme imho, but like I said, I understand where you're coming from.
Even so, it creates a greater chance that someone else will be introduced to eSports and events like MLG as TV's are usually in common areas unlike computers that are usually in personal spaces. That statement may seem minute, but I think it's kind of a big deal. The question "What are you watching?" is much more common there
TV broadcasting promotes watching these events in groups more so than the current format. This is the biggest plus in my opinion.
I'm going to tell everyone I know to watch this shit when it comes on so ratings are through the roof. Seriously, if I have to stand there with a gun to their head or hijack that remote and remove all the buttons on their tv, I'LL DO IT!
Ok, I don't really have a gun, so jk. But I would be cruel enough to hide the remote and remove the buttons on the tv so it's stuck on whatever channel it's on!
the problem with cbs is how fringe sports have been with network tv. there is not commitment to it to educating the public and developing product outside of the niche base.
we have seen this in paintball...mma...other stuff.
preferably it could grow a little more on g4. luckily mlg has an ever improving video library which it can use to sell. everyone knows that there is wehre the money is.
On June 12 2012 05:31 shankems2000 wrote: I think a fundamental problem with this is that the people more likely to watch an e sports event, consume the majority of their entertainment via their computers. I'm sure plenty of them, have like myself, canceled their cable completely.
Of course that's the case when it's the only option.
On June 12 2012 22:46 Apocalypse.DG wrote: Shame it isn't on a well known, more mainstream channel that somebody has actually heard of!
CBS itself is one of the major networks in the US. If you have a TV, you literally have access to CBS itself. CBS (the company) also owns many smaller channels, and the speculation is that it is one of these smaller channels that gaming would be shown on.
On June 12 2012 14:36 thealexw87 wrote: It's sounds like its also CBS Interactive a channel you must get through a cable/ satellite provider.
CBSi isn't a channel at all, it's the division of CBS that does online content.
This isn't going to work. The offshoot channels of CBS... even with Dish Network top 200 package, I don't get access to the channel.
I feel like they will dabble, find out it isn't profitable, and it will instead set back E-sports even more by discouraging future major networks from bothering with it after the precedent is set by CBS and whichever subsidiary service they use for this experiment.
But then again, SC2 suffering... music to my ears =)
Bad for e-sports though. I would have waited for the scene to become more solidified, and have heroes/figures like Boxer to emerge from the American scene that people will fall in love with.
This is great news!! I'm so happy to hear this! I hope it happens!! Everyone celebrate we are gonna make it big time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
On June 13 2012 03:58 JiPrime wrote: *quickly flips through TV channels* *realize I have CBSi* Fuck yeah, OGN American Edition here we go
Is there actually a channel for CBSi? Because I can't find anything that suggests that; it's just a division of CBS that owns a bunch of websites like Gamespot. So it'd be nice if you could explain whether you actually have that channel, because it doesn't seem like it's common knowledge that it exists, or if you're just lying (which isn't a big deal, would just be nice to know since there's so much false shit in this thread).
A few things: Sundance says in the article that “I think we have a clear path to doing something on TV this year," but then his twitter says they're just "exploring," which sounds much more uncertain. He also says they have "a title," it's not necessarily SC2. I don't think there's really enough info to even begin guessing what will happen or what the merits / demerits of such a deal would be, since we know basically nothing.
On June 13 2012 02:58 Garaman wrote: This isn't going to work. The offshoot channels of CBS... even with Dish Network top 200 package, I don't get access to the channel.
I feel like they will dabble, find out it isn't profitable, and it will instead set back E-sports even more by discouraging future major networks from bothering with it after the precedent is set by CBS and whichever subsidiary service they use for this experiment.
But then again, SC2 suffering... music to my ears =)
Bad for e-sports though. I would have waited for the scene to become more solidified, and have heroes/figures like Boxer to emerge from the American scene that people will fall in love with.
Why are you even on this site other than to just shit on SC2 every post? What are you going to do when there is no more BW games to watch? Just make inflammatory comments until you get banned?
On June 13 2012 02:58 Garaman wrote: This isn't going to work. The offshoot channels of CBS... even with Dish Network top 200 package, I don't get access to the channel.
I feel like they will dabble, find out it isn't profitable, and it will instead set back E-sports even more by discouraging future major networks from bothering with it after the precedent is set by CBS and whichever subsidiary service they use for this experiment.
But then again, SC2 suffering... music to my ears =)
Bad for e-sports though. I would have waited for the scene to become more solidified, and have heroes/figures like Boxer to emerge from the American scene that people will fall in love with.
seriously in BW forums sc2 players get banned for saying shit like this all the time
On June 13 2012 07:19 Probe1 wrote: He only said one negative line about SC2. The first half of his post was on point and a legitimate concern.
Look at his post history, he goes out of his way, like in this post, to make sure everybody knows how much he hates sc2 and how inferior he thinks it is to bw.
Actually I did. He can dislike Starcraft 2. That is allowed. If it was only SC2 bashing then there may be a point to be had but as you can see, there is usually content along with it. That is a factor often missing in BW bashing posts.
On June 13 2012 08:51 Probe1 wrote: Actually I did. He can dislike Starcraft 2. That is allowed. If it was only SC2 bashing then there may be a point to be had but as you can see, there is usually content along with it. That is a factor often missing in BW bashing posts.
That is bad logic. Just because someone has content in their post doesn't mean they can be an asshole. And a lot of his posts, at least in bw section, was just pure bashing.
On June 13 2012 08:51 Probe1 wrote: Actually I did. He can dislike Starcraft 2. That is allowed. If it was only SC2 bashing then there may be a point to be had but as you can see, there is usually content along with it. That is a factor often missing in BW bashing posts.
It doesn't work that way. That line was totally not needed at all.
On June 13 2012 07:19 Probe1 wrote: He only said one negative line about SC2. The first half of his post was on point and a legitimate concern.
Look at his post history, he goes out of his way, like in this post, to make sure everybody knows how much he hates sc2 and how inferior he thinks it is to bw.
Does it matter how many lines it was? He was trying to flame, just report the guy and move on.
I could see this actually airing on Showtime. The reason is that they don't have to worry about broadcast schedule with the news and 60 minutes and stuff. the NFL.
On June 13 2012 02:58 Garaman wrote: This isn't going to work. The offshoot channels of CBS... even with Dish Network top 200 package, I don't get access to the channel.
I feel like they will dabble, find out it isn't profitable, and it will instead set back E-sports even more by discouraging future major networks from bothering with it after the precedent is set by CBS and whichever subsidiary service they use for this experiment.
But then again, SC2 suffering... music to my ears =)
Bad for e-sports though. I would have waited for the scene to become more solidified, and have heroes/figures like Boxer to emerge from the American scene that people will fall in love with.
I think it would be best if you refrained from posting on SC2 forums.
That's a big company there, but I have no clue what they plan to do with it. MLG is tiny when it comes to how much runtime it is vs viewers. It's not gonna fit 30 minute to 1 hour time slots, and it won't bring enough viewers to even justify that.
They might be able to broadcasts MLG finals in a subsidiary channel. Or feature MLG via internet instead of TV.
I do dream that SCII will make it onto mainstream TV with the big boys
On June 13 2012 02:58 Garaman wrote: This isn't going to work. The offshoot channels of CBS... even with Dish Network top 200 package, I don't get access to the channel.
I feel like they will dabble, find out it isn't profitable, and it will instead set back E-sports even more by discouraging future major networks from bothering with it after the precedent is set by CBS and whichever subsidiary service they use for this experiment.
But then again, SC2 suffering... music to my ears =)
Bad for e-sports though. I would have waited for the scene to become more solidified, and have heroes/figures like Boxer to emerge from the American scene that people will fall in love with.
I think it would be best if you refrained from posting on SC2 forums.
Pfft. Most of my post was in regards to how an unsuccessful endeavor would be detrimental to E-sports. My bit on SC2 is just my opinion, and I was addressing real concerns in regards the the future proliferation of E-sports. I would much prefer if the organizers pursued sponsors/broadcasters from major media corporations after the scene is more solidified. Right now, the only successful way for e-sports in the foreign scene is online streaming. It just doesn't make fiscal sense to major broadcasters like CBS to dabble in a product that will get less viewers than horrendous shows like Whitney. All it will show CBS and other companies like them is that E-sports isn't profitable.
Are we going to sit down and watch whatever they broadcast? Most of us knowing that VODs will be released soon after will just watch those at our convenience. When shows like Community which has a cult following is on the verge of being cancelled due to horrible ratings, what will happen to SC2 when the ratings won't even be close to these other shows that are struggling with viewers. Plus it doesn't help that it won't be on the main CBS channel, and with such a multinational following that SC2 scene has, I doubt most of us will even have the channel to watch it on whatever channel it will be broadcasted on. I have an extensive Satelite TV plan, I don't have the subsidiary channels for CBS sports or CBSi. This is a valid concern.
Another factor is that E-sports shines when there is a figure that the audience falls in love with. E-sports in Korea couldn't have succeeded without an iconic figure, Boxer. Right now in MLG with mostly the Koreans dominating it, I just can't see the appeal that would draw in the casual viewers needed to boost the ratings. "Oh, it's another random korean whose name I can't say playing another Korean in the finals. I think I'll turn the channel." You NEED a charismatic character to have the show revolve around to sell the product. Unfortunately, I don't really see one currently on the scene that will make it far in the MLG, especially if they decide just to broadcast the later stages of the tourney.
Just to put ratings into numbers for a major broadcasting station...
Community at 3.1 million views on live TV (ratings don't include hulu and online streaming BTW, even if you watch the commercials when it is streamed by the company that broadcasts it) and is considered horrendous rating wise. The number is actually a lot higher if you include people on Hulu, other people watching it streamed on the parent company's website, and people who TiVo the show.
How many people watched the MLG? Most people streamed it, and the people who showed up paid to watch it, that's great for the sponsors.
I actually believe they are better off making MLG PPV first, like boxing does with their matches. While it isn't great for the fans, it would benefit the e-sports industry if they proved to network television, SC2 can be viable broadcast on TV. Maybe it will sway a company to dabble in it on their major channels that everyone has (like ESPN2, Discovery, etc etc).
I just don't believe from the information provided in the OP, that this will be successful, and actually more harmful in the long run to e-sports.
On June 14 2012 02:54 Garaman wrote: Just to put ratings into numbers for a major broadcasting station...
Community at 3.1 million views on live TV (ratings don't include hulu and online streaming BTW, even if you watch the commercials when it is streamed by the company that broadcasts it) and is considered horrendous rating wise. The number is actually a lot higher if you include people on Hulu, other people watching it streamed on the parent company's website, and people who TiVo the show.
How many people watched the MLG? Most people streamed it, and the people who showed up paid to watch it, that's great for the sponsors.
I actually believe they are better off making MLG PPV first, like boxing does with their matches. While it isn't great for the fans, it would benefit the e-sports industry if they proved to network television, SC2 can be viable broadcast on TV. Maybe it will sway a company to dabble in it on their major channels that everyone has (like ESPN2, Discovery, etc etc).
I just don't believe from the information provided in the OP, that this will be successful, and actually more harmful in the long run to e-sports.
Community is a prime-time comedy. I'm not sure why your comparing eSports to it? How is this relevant?
You need to learn why boxing went to and was successful with a PPV model. Boxing PPVs are completely driven by the top of the ticket, by superstars who only fight a few times a year. People are willing to pay for it when it is one of the three times these athletes will compete all year. MLG calls their broadcast PPV, but in reality paying for 3 full days of content is nothing similar to paying for 2-3 hours worth of content (which is what boxing/UFC/WWE PPVs are). It would be a very hard sell for an eSports fan to pay for a single BoX on TV PPV.
I don't need to correct your sc2 bashing, because the error in that is self evident.
On June 14 2012 02:54 Garaman wrote: Just to put ratings into numbers for a major broadcasting station...
Community at 3.1 million views on live TV (ratings don't include hulu and online streaming BTW, even if you watch the commercials when it is streamed by the company that broadcasts it) and is considered horrendous rating wise. The number is actually a lot higher if you include people on Hulu, other people watching it streamed on the parent company's website, and people who TiVo the show.
How many people watched the MLG? Most people streamed it, and the people who showed up paid to watch it, that's great for the sponsors.
I actually believe they are better off making MLG PPV first, like boxing does with their matches. While it isn't great for the fans, it would benefit the e-sports industry if they proved to network television, SC2 can be viable broadcast on TV. Maybe it will sway a company to dabble in it on their major channels that everyone has (like ESPN2, Discovery, etc etc).
I just don't believe from the information provided in the OP, that this will be successful, and actually more harmful in the long run to e-sports.
Community is a prime-time comedy. I'm not sure why your comparing eSports to it? How is this relevant?
You need to learn why boxing went to and was successful with a PPV model. Boxing PPVs are completely driven by the top of the ticket, by superstars who only fight a few times a year. People are willing to pay for it when it is one of the three times these athletes will compete all year. MLG calls their broadcast PPV, but in reality paying for 3 full days of content is nothing similar to paying for 2-3 hours worth of content (which is what boxing/UFC/WWE PPVs are). It would be a very hard sell for an eSports fan to pay for a single BoX on TV PPV.
I don't need to correct your sc2 bashing, because the error in that is self evident.
It's relevant because some people were advocating for it to be on the CBS main channel. It would be subject to comparisons with other TV shows no? Why shouldn't we compare numbers for lagging shows?
MLG finals are only a handful of times a year right? I can't imagine CBS devoting such a large chunk of time to broadcast the whole of MLG, I can only see quarters and up being broadcasted.
I don't see where I bashed sc2 in the previous post, and there is no error that is evident. It's simply a matter of opinion, a very valid one at that.
I can see CBS slowly stepping away once they see almost only Koreans in the top 16 lol...they know the necessity of relatable white people to your average network TV watching joe
On June 15 2012 10:30 rift wrote: I can see CBS slowly stepping away once they see almost only Koreans in the top 16 lol...they know the necessity of relatable white people to your average network TV watching joe
Does having Koreans in the final really detriment the viewership of the game THAT much where major companies are turned off by it? Would it really matter that much to a casual fan who probably wont be seeing the players because they are in a booth? And if the casters hype up a player, say LiquidHerO for instance, and talk about how unique he is and aggressive his styles are; wouldnt that be enough to keep people watching? I am seriously wondering because i have always heard this and was wondering what the exact reasoning is.
On June 15 2012 10:30 rift wrote: I can see CBS slowly stepping away once they see almost only Koreans in the top 16 lol...they know the necessity of relatable white people to your average network TV watching joe
Does having Koreans in the final really detriment the viewership of the game THAT much where major companies are turned off by it? Would it really matter that much to a casual fan who probably wont be seeing the players because they are in a booth? And if the casters hype up a player, say LiquidHerO for instance, and talk about how unique he is and aggressive his styles are; wouldnt that be enough to keep people watching? I am seriously wondering because i have always heard this and was wondering what the exact reasoning is.
Unfortunately I think Oblivion is right; having Koreans in the finals DOES detriment the viewership of a game that most people don't know about (for the average TV viewer). Watch the Olympics coming up and see how much time is dedicated to the heart warming story stuff instead of the actual games. Maybe if the casters talk about the human story and the players are able to talk about themselves in English, and maybe it could work. Compound all of that on top of the fact that SC2 is a difficult thing for people who don't play games to understand and big networks will really think twice before taking a risk on it.
Unfortunately I think Oblivion is right; having Koreans in the finals DOES detriment the viewership of a game that most people don't know about (for the average TV viewer). Watch the Olympics coming up and see how much time is dedicated to the heart warming story stuff instead of the actual games. Maybe if the casters talk about the human story and the players are able to talk about themselves in English, and maybe it could work. Compound all of that on top of the fact that SC2 is a difficult thing for people who don't play games to understand and big networks will really think twice before taking a risk on it.
I don't think Koreans have anything to do with the potential lack of popularity so much as the content itself. MLG could try to market a tournament on CBS of only Americans or only white guys and I don't think it will get any further. What matters is compelling content that can draw mainstream viewers who probably have never played the game.
I'm pretty skeptical that will happen and I'm skeptical CBS has any plans to put MLG events on television. I think they may say these things to draw goodwill from the community and tease people into excitement about MLG's partnership, but I don't think anything will come of it.
On June 20 2012 05:46 TheFish7 wrote: Compound all of that on top of the fact that SC2 is a difficult thing for people who don't play games to understand and big networks will really think twice before taking a risk on it.
Husky does good job of catering to newer people to the game, also if starcraft is going to be hard to understand I can't imagine how LoL will do with the general audience..
EPT
