AMC creates eSports SVOD network

AMC Networks International Iberia and gamer culture MCN Machinima have created an SVOD network dedicated to eSports and gaming.

The platform, billed as a “many2many service”, will be available on pay TV platforms, smart TVs and as iOS and Android apps in Spain and Portugal.

Programming will include Machinima original productions such as Street Fighter: Resurrection, eSports reality series Training Camp, The Bacca Chronicles from social media influencer JeromeASF and the upcoming Transformers: The Combiner Wars.

The move comes as traditional TV companies increasingly target the lucrative eSports market, with Comcast, Turner Broadcasting System, Endemol Shine Beyond and Modern Times Group among those investing in the medium.

“Heroes, eSports and video gaming are the new pillars of pop culture on a global scale and Machinima is the most notorious purveyor of this type of content in the world,” said AMCNI’s James Glasscock, who’s senior VP, strategy and business development.

AMCNI Iberia operates 22 channels, including AMC, Sundance Channel, Canal Hollywood, XTRM, Somos, Buzz, Historia, A&E, Crime + Investigation and Canal Panda.