COLOGNE, GERMANY – AUGUST 17: A general view of the ESL stand is seen at the Gamescom 2016 gaming trade fair during the media day on August 17, 2016 in Cologne, Germany. Gamescom is the world’s largest digital gaming trade fair and will be open to the public from August 18-22. (Photo by Mathis Wienand/Getty Images for BIU)
Esports company ESL announced Monday it is partnering with Hulu to bring its content to a streaming video on-demand service for the first time.
Four new esports series developed and produced by ESL — gamified debate show Player v. Player, docu-series Bootcamp that follows CS: GO team The Immortals, Defining Moments for esports history, and ESL Replay for tournament recaps — are part of the deal that marks Hulu’s foray into sports and will premiere exclusively on Hulu this fall. Among the topics explored in the series include athlete training and preparation, news and industry trends.
“The partnership with Hulu marks ESL’s first original series on an on-demand streaming service, and will showcase the diverse nature of esports through high quality storytelling,” Nik Adams, Senior Vice President of Global Media Rights and Distribution, ESL, said in a statement. “Esports appeals to a younger, more digitally savvy audience so Hulu is a perfect platform to build out our original content and expose the world of esports to new audiences.”
“Esports is one of the fastest growing areas of media and entertainment, and, through this first-of-its-kind deal with ESL, we can now bring the popular world of esports to Hulu,” Lisa Holme, Hulu’s Vice President of Content Acquisition, said in a statement. “We know our viewers, especially those watching Hulu on consoles, are hungry for this type of content – so we’re excited to offer it on Hulu for the first time.”
