GTL: ESPN & Disney Make Plays To Enter The Esports Market

As esports gains more traction in further gaming communities and gains more viewership across various events, corporate juggarnauts are taking notice. ESPN and Disney are aiming to take to NFL Madden and revolutionize the pro-football simulator's pro player base in a new televised esports league while Disney puts its eyes on Twitch, bringing various Twitch streaming partners under the Disney banner. As these two corporations prepare to dig deep into the gaming world, the viability of betting on esports has raised interest as people consider the possibiity of fantasy sports with esports events.

ESPN2 recently partnered Disney XD to become broadcast partners for  with Madden NFL 18 Championship Series to bring professional Madden players into a new esports league on a major television network. Are the Madden games a good way to bridge the gap between gamers and sports fans? How well will Madden translate to televised broadcast and what paths can the Madden Championship Series pave for other espors arenas in the televised space? Discussion considers who the event will attract and whether or not viewers and investors will continue to see value in this type of event.

Disney made its own moves as well, sponsoring various professional players, streamers, and content creaters on Twitch in an effort to capitalize on the growing trend of online video game streaming. The panel discusses how much freedom streamers may have under Disney, as well as how much control Disney may intend to place on the content and experience of its sponsored streamers. 

Debate also covers whether Disney will be accepted among the Twitch audience or if they are willing to appeal to online audiences and all of the possible outcomes that come with them. Additionally, the panel considers the versatality of both Twitch and YouTube in comparison to conventional TV and cable and whether YouTube and Twitch are capable of completely evolving and developing into a universal video network that drowns out traditional network TV.

Finally, the topic turns towards the intersection of esports and fantasy sports. As esports grows, so does interest in fantasy sports such as fantasy football, basketball, and other sports. Does esports draw the same appeal of fantasy sports as other established competitive bases? Is betting on esports worthwhile or viable or is the scene too young yet to draw the attention of betting on any esports events?

Discussion includes the nature and appeal of fantasy sports in general, as well as consideration based on early fantasy esports models being developed by teams such as League of Legends' Riot Games.

The show has wrapped for today, but you can catch the full video above.