Hitbox gets exclusive streaming rights to Counter-Strike tournament

Twitch’s competitor got a nice exclusive.

Live-streaming site Hitbox revealed today that it will have sole broadcasting rights for a Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournament, The World Championships 2015. Counter-Strike: GO is one of the most popular games for esports, so having a tournament exclusive to Hitbox, instead of its larger competitor Twitch, is a big deal for the site. Esports are expected to generate $278 million this year, according to the latest Global Growth of Esports Report from industry intelligence firm Newzoo. The competition begins on October 8 at Sava Center in Belgrade, Serbia.

E-Frag hosts the tournament, which includes teams from 16 nations, including the U.S., China, France, Russia, and Serbia.

“The World Championship is the evolution of the European Championship, which drew more than 20 million viewers in 2014,” Hitbox noted in  a press release sent to GamesBeat. “With a $100,000 prize pool it is one of the most exclusive tournaments in the world.”