Major League Gaming’s online viewership is up 1,376%

Last year, Major League Gaming invested a significant amount of money to launch its own livestreaming platform. That investment looks like it is paying off.

MLG saw a huge increase to its online viewership numbers during the first quarter of the year thanks to its MLG.tv video-streaming site. The company relaunched that platform last year as a media destination for tournament events and original e-sports-related programming. The company reported today that it increased MLG.tv’s viewership by 1,376 percent in the Q1 compared to the same period in 2013. Engagement is also high, as stats show that the average audience member watches an MLG.tv stream for 157 minutes per session. MLG has millions of viewers each month. In November, its last championship event attracted 15 million unique people online.

“MLG.tv’s viewership is beyond our expectations,” MLG president Mike Sepso said in a statement. “And we’re investing in the best executive talent in the world to ensure it’s the premier live video platform for gaming.”

That new executive talent comes to MLG in the form of its new vice president of programming, e-sports production veteran Ryan Wyatt. He joins MLG after recently working as the head of e-sports for online video network Machinima.

“MLG fueled my e-sports career six years ago and I am thrilled to return as VP of programming. The exceptional growth of MLG.tv has been inspiring, and that success ultimately drew me back to the company,” said Ryan “Fwiz” Wyatt, MLG VP of programming. “Leveraging my expertise and passion for e-sports, I am committed to continuing to stoke the growth by developing high-quality programming and working with the top talent and organizations in the gaming industry to build the most entertaining live platform.”

At MLG, Wyatt will focus on creating more original shows for MLG.tv. He will also work with the network’s media partners to produce additional high-quality streams from top e-sports talent.

“Ryan is a programming thought leader in our industry who will help take mlg.tv into the future,” said Sepso. “With Ryan on the team, Chris Puckett can focus 100 percent on expanding eSports Report from the premiere weekly e-sports news property to the world’s first daily, real-time news source for the global e-sports phenomenon.”

Puckett, who previously served as the vice president of programming, will continue as vice president and executive producer of all MLG Pro Circuit competition broadcasts. He has spent the last few months moving eSports Report, a SportsCenter-style show for competitive gaming, from a weekly to a daily broadcast.