MLG Strikes Deal With ESPN; Voom Channel To Showcase "Madden"

Gameplay HD Channel Offering Coverage From "Madden" Tourneys

ESPN and Major League Gaming (MLG) have formed a content partnership in which the net will serve as the primary outlet for news about MLG, including coverage of MLG's '08 Pro Circuit.  Specific content applications planned include exclusive streamed matches, player interviews and match coverage, and co-branded video game tournaments. The privately-held MLG is one of a handful of operations competing in the still-developing industry of professional video gaming. Qualifying competition for MLG's '08 season began yesterday. "This is going to be a big year for us," said Matthew Bromberg, MLG President & CEO. "We've seen the market consolidate, and from our view, it's now basically come down to us and the Championship Gaming Series. And what we do is quite a bit different from CGS. So we're expecting quite a bit of lift" (Eric Fisher, SportsBusiness Journal).

MADDEN NATION: MULTICHANNEL NEWS' Mike Reynolds reported Voom's Gameplay HD channel has "created a new TV series capturing the action from competitive tournaments built around" EA Sports' "Madden" franchise. The seven-part "Madden Challenge presented by Best Buy" series will debut at 1:00 pm ET on February 2 and will "showcase the players via profiles and other segments exploring the culture of the game, as well as coverage of regional tournaments culled from events held in 17 NFL stadiums." The series will culminate with coverage of the December 12-13, 2007 finals at Universal Studios in L.A. Gameplay HD Exec Producer Rob Faris: "Given the popularity of the Madden game and football in this country, this competition has the biggest opportunity to go mainstream on TV" (MULTICHANNEL.com, 1/13).