Activision Blizzard announces its bringing of live e-sports events to Facebook, which aims to introduce a new audience to the growing community. The move represents an improved collaboration with the social network giant that's going to kickstart with a two-day tournament of "Call of Duty: Black Ops III," beginning June 10.
As per The Verge, the Facebook broadcasts will be powered by MLG.tv, the streaming platform acquired by Activision in January. Steve Bornstein, chairman of Activision's Media Networks unit, said (via IGN), "We're building a network dedicated to the thrill of competition and the passion of the fans."
And Facebook, apparently, is too valuable to ignore. Mike Sepso. the company's co-founder and senior vice president, told The Guardian, "Based on our tests so far and our existing partnership for Facebook it's where we see our greatest capability to introduce a new audience to e-sports." He vows to produce "a lot" of content over Facebook live on a daily basis. With this, newcomers can catch up.
"There's all this drama and storyline, that's what we want to bring to the table and all bring to the forefront. Facebook is a big part of that as our current fans are sharing with their own communities," Sepso went on. He also promised that Activision will continue working with Instagram and Twitch.
Another important announcement is the introduction of MLG.tv's EVE, or the "Enhanced Viewing Experience." This is a broadcast feature which comes with a built-in, algorithmic system that's designed to provide valuable information during e-sports events. Basically, viewers will be treated with convenient match statistics, leaderboards and insights on whatever competition is on air.
Meanwhile, market researcher Newzoo predicts that over 1 billion people will have heard of e-sports by the end of the year, Polygon reports. Based on participants surveyed in 16 countries, this figure is up by 35% from 2015.
Sepso has declined to comment whether Activision is among the companies paid by Facebook to utilize its live video tools, the Los Angeles Times notes. He tips, however, that one story may be covered in "seven or eight" ways, which aims to make relevant content more accessible.
Are you excited to watch live e-sports events on Facebook?
