Yahoo Esports partners with organizer ESL to broadcast events and create new tournaments

Yahoo isn’t only covering esports, it’s also starting some of its own events.

ESL, a major esports organizer, is teaming up with Yahoo Esports to broadcast and create new competitive gaming tournaments. As part of the two-year agreement, Yahoo will livestream many of the existing ESL contests while also working to create new events. Previously, Yahoo had primarily focused on covering the esports world, but now it is stepping over to the other side to act as a creator of original pro gaming content as well. Esports is an $892 million market and growing, and Yahoo wants to work with sponsors on its new events to get a part of that cash.

Yahoo will now act as a destination for live HD-quality esports video while providing even more reporting on ESL events like ESL One and Intel Extreme Masters. This should raise the profile of the Yahoo Esports team, which has worked hard to establish itself as a legit resource for competitive-gaming news.

“Our Yahoo Esports team is extremely excited to be partnering with ESL to bring greater coverage of its leading esports events,” Yahoo video and esports vice president Zachary John said in a canned statement. “Yahoo’s unique storytelling, highly talented editorial staff and global scale are a great combination with ESL’s experience and leadership in the space.”

For ESL, this helps the exposure of its products. That is important because the event organizer generates the bulk of its revenue from sponsorships, and brands are more willing to spend that cash if they know they’re getting a large, engaged audience. Esports is known for attracting people in the key demographic of males between the ages of 13 and 34. ESL can compound the effects of that viewership by broadcasting on sites like Twitch and Yahoo.

“ESL in a unique position to be able to offer access to some of the world’s best esports competitions,” ESL senior vice president of sales said in a statement. “And having a partner like Yahoo Esports means we will not only reach a broader audience with a supreme quality broadcast, but also deliver exclusive editorial content for esports fans worldwide. Yahoo Esports is a fantastic partner to team up with for the broadcast and coverage of our key events, and we are looking forward to working with them on new and exciting content for our viewers.”