With traditional sports postponed and most of the world’s population sheltering at home, esports is helping to fill the void. Total viewership of the Overwatch League has risen by more than 110,000 views on average on YouTube since the coronavirus disrupted the sports world. OWL, however, was not left unscathed. The league canceled weeks 6 and 7 of its season and all physical events as it formulated a plan to move completely online. Still, OWL managed to stabilize for its week 8 return with around 1.5 million total views on its official YouTube channel. Week 9 achieved the third-highest viewership overall this season.
Some popular esports leagues, such as ESL Pro Gaming, have continued normal operations. The Call of Duty League, structured similarly to OWL, has been on hiatus but is returning this weekend, streaming the rest of the season on its official YouTube channel.
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NOTES: YouTube owns the exclusive streaming rights for OWL with a 3-year, $160M deal signed in '20. The COVID-19 disruption was determined by the dates in which OWL, along with most other sporting organizations, were forced to take action to slow the spread of the disease. Figures are rounded to account for incremental views gained across the week.
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