Hulu "caught the eSports bug," according to Todd Spangler of VARIETY. It ordered four original series about the world of competitive video gaming from ESL, a major esports content and tournament producer. The shows, which mark Hulu’s "first foray" into esports, will premiere exclusively on the U.S. streaming platform later this fall. The four new series, comprising about 15 hours of content total, are "being developed and produced by ESL." They are game-style talk show "Player v. Player," "Bootcamp," a docu-series following The Immortals, a top "Counter-Strike: Global Offensive" team, "Defining Moments," exploring a different esports topic each week, and "ESL Replay," a one-hour show recapping four big tournaments. Hulu VP of Content Acquisition Lisa Holme said, "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." To head up production of the new shows, ESL tapped Barry Hennessey, an Emmy-winning producer whose credits include CBS’s "The Amazing Race" and A&E’s "Born This Way." Production is set to begin this week (VARIETY, 10/9).
