DreamHack and ESL to Enter Exclusive Streaming Deal with Twitch for 2021-2022

Cover and Thumbnail Image Courtesy: DreamHack

• ESL and DreamHack to enter an exclusive broadcasting deal with Twitch from next year onwards.
  
  
• The deal will cover the entirety of ESL Pro Tour for the year 2021-2022.
  
  
• While the English broadcast will only be broadcasted on Twitch some regional broadcasts do not comply with the same guidelines.

After a failed exclusive broadcasting deal with Facebook that came to an end in 2019 due to poor viewing experience and community backlash, ESL and DreamHack are now entering another such deal with Twitch for the year 2021-2022.

The exclusive broadcasting deal between the tournament organizers and the streaming platform includes the English broadcast of their esports tournaments. This will be the last year that English content from the two organizers are distributed across multiple platforms, with the deal coming into effect from next year onwards.

This exclusivity deal will include the entire ESL Pro Tour including the ESL Pro League, ESL One, IEM, DreamHack Masters, DreamHack Open, and ESL National Championships, with both StarCraft II and WarCraft III also a part of this deal.

[Also Read: Valve and ESL disappointed with Facebook over slump in viewership numbers]

Benjamin Vallat, SVP of Alliances and Corporate Development at Twitch said that

“As part of the partnership, Twitch will become a centralised hub for streaming ESL and DreamHack competitions. The company will work directly with ESL and DreamHack to coordinate broadcast integrations and maximise sponsorships of some of the biggest esports tournaments going forward.”

Frank Uddo, Senior Vice President, Global Media at ESL commended Twitch while saying that “It feels only natural to work even closer with Twitch to provide the best gaming experience for fans, as well as safeguard the future of the esports industry.”

Finally, Roger Lodewick - Co-CEO of DreamHack stated that “This new collective media partnership is re-confirming our long-standing collaboration and highlights the importance and relevance Twitch has to our community.”

While there was a lot wrong with how it all went down when Facebook was given the exclusive broadcasting rights, Twitch has proved itself to be a great streaming platform, especially when it comes to broadcasting a tournament. Let’s see whether the deal turns out to be a success, or does it lead to another tragic fallout for ESL.