ProSiebenSat.1 dives deeper into eSports with ESL deal

German broadcaster ProSiebenSat.1’s sports business unit, 7Sports, is to deepen its involvement in the fast-growing world of eSports for the first time after striking a deal with Modern Times Group (MTG)-owned eSports giant ESL.

From August 30, the ProSieben Maxx channel will run a new magazine show, Ran eSports. The content will also be available on the ran.de and ProSiebenMAXX.de websites. ProSiebenSat.1 claims that the show, which will air every Wednesday at 00:15, will be the first on a German free-to-air channel dedicated to eSports.

The show will focus on Counter Strike: Global Offensive, but will also feature content around the League of Legends game as well as Dota 2, FIFA, Madden NFL and Rocket League.

Before the launch of the magazine show, ProSieben Maxx will also air the final of the FIFA Interactive World Cup on August 23.

The broadcaster has also renewed an existing agreement with eLeague. ProSieben Maxx started broadcasting content from the Turner-backed sSports league last year.

7Sports CEO Zeljko Karajica said that eSports was “one of the major growth areas in sport” and that taking the content to free TV would open it up to a new audience. He said the partnership with ESL, together with the group’s existing eLeague, meant that ProSiebenSat.1 now had one of the largest line-ups of eSports on offer.