Two of ESL’s biggest esports competitions — CS:GO Pro League and ESL One — will be broadcast exclusively on Facebook. Both of the series were formerly streamed on YouTube exclusively.
The World Esports Association (WESA) and ESL will launch Facebook live-streaming of CS:GO Pro League, one of the top “Counter-Strike: Global Offensive” competitions, starting with the upcoming season seven on Feb. 13, 2018. That will run for four seasons of Pro League through December 2019. The broadcasts will be available at facebook.com/ESLProLeagueCSGO.
ESL also will broadcast its flagship ESL One circuit on Facebook, featuring “Dota 2” and “CS:GO.” The first event in 2018 will be ESL One Genting 2018 in Malaysia taking place Jan. 23-28, 2018, featuring 16 “Dota 2” top teams. The ESL One broadcasts will be at facebook.com/WatchESLOne.
The announcements come after ESL announced in May 2017 plans to bring 5,000 hours of esports content to Facebook. Over that time, ESL has grown its reach on Facebook from 700,000 users to more than 25 million people monthly — generating over 2.5 billion impressions and reaching over 300 million users globally.
“Building on our successful partnership, we believe Facebook is the perfect platform to bring both Pro League and ESL One competitions to new and existing audiences,” said Nik Adams, ESL’s SVP of global media rights and distribution.
The competitions will be streamed via Facebook Live in English and Portuguese, with other languages available as well. All live broadcasts from CS:GO Pro League and ESL One will be available in 1080p/60fps HD video on Facebook. Both Pro League and ESL One will also be streamed in virtual reality on Facebook, initially available through the Facebook 360 app for Samsung Gear VR.
In addition to the esports events, ESL will produce and broadcast a weekly five-minute “Dota” show on the Facebook Watch platform for video series.
Pictured above: ESL’s Dallas Pro League 2017 Finals
