eSports has found a new home: Cable TV. Announcement of TBS’ intentions to start and air its own eSports league comes as the 39 year old company attempts to rebrand and reach new audiences. Teaming up with talent giant WME-IMG, the Turner-owned cable network will start and air 20 live programs from its own eSports league featuring the massively popular video game “Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.” The league will debut in 2016, with dates to be determined.
“We’ll double the number of our original series on TBS and TNT over the next three years. And we’ll sharpen the point of view and be even more adventurous in our programming choices.”
Turner Entertainment Chief Content Officer, Kevin Reilly
Strategically, TBS’ motives could not be clearer. TBS derives revenues primarily from two sources – advertising and subscription. Higher ratings result in higher ad commitments during upfront sales. Facing increased viewership on alternative video platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu, TBS is focusing on bringing in new content and original programming. eSports, wildly popular amongst millennials and with an established digital streaming presence, is a good fit. Various analysts view TBS’ play as pulling eSports viewers back to a medium from which they are disappearing at a notable rate. However, TBS must focus on establishing a gateway for viewing audiences who aren’t aware of the eSports experience.
Entertainment for a wider audience
Currently, there is no single home for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CSGO) eSports. Viewership is scattered across a number of different web-based, streaming channels. TBS, even with all its resources and programming experience, must not attempt to pull “eyeballs” away from platforms like Twitch or Azubu. Instead, their focus must be on packaging and delivering eSports in such a way that a wider, untapped audience is drawn in. This could entail:
- Focus on stories, stars and showdowns. eSports TV programming doesn’t have a well-developed ecosystem of media/press outlets that help generate a sense of excitement leading up to and following an event. Viewers will need to be pulled in through storytelling, star power and a showdown feel to the events themselves.
- Reduced screen time for actual gameplay. As of this writing, TBS plans for exactly how events will be aired is not evident. However, typical eSports tournament streams focus almost solely on gameplay interleaved with shoutcasting cut-ins. TBS must avoid this model, altogether, and televise entirely different aspects of an eSports event that are left out in online streams.
- Accessibility and authenticity. The less scripted content, the better. Viewers must come away with the impression that TBS is providing more access than would ever be granted in a traditional sports context. Blindly reproducing facsimiles of what’s done in traditional sports (scripted postgame interviews, halftime reports, etc.) will come across as inauthentic and try-hard. Accessibility is king.
The idea isn’t to cheapen the eSports experience. Alternatively, it’s to provide additional angles past the hardcore, competitive video game elements that resonate so well with enthusiasts. TBS eSports must capture the inborne authenticity of the eSports community and translate it across the TV screen. Otherwise, it will fall into a purgatory between eSports content created online and traditional TV programming.
eSports as a part of modern pop culture
Today’s 21st century media landscape is flatter than ever. With social networking and unprecedented access to digital channels, “popularity” is a tidal wave that can rise and fall almost instantaneously. TBS eSports must take full advantage of the relevancy that TV still holds, as a communication medium, and begin to carve a place for eSports in modern pop culture. However, increasing the actual mainstream popularity of eSports isn’t the main objective. The goal is to leverage TV pop culture artifacts as a vehicle for eSports; a Trojan horse, of sorts.
Reality television provides a great model for taking untrained individuals with no “on camera” experience and turning them into (relative) notables. TBS eSports will have the built-in advantages of actual talent, in the form of some of the best competitive gamers in the world, and a competitive structure familiar to sports fans. The possibilities for creating great, “made for TV” moments are nearly inexhaustible.
Dramatic elements over sport
TBS already has experience producing high quality professional sport programming, with its Major League Baseball (MLB) and NCAA March Madness coverage. However, both basketball and baseball are widely accepted mainstream sports in North America. An average viewer has far more fundamental knowledge of both activities than is remotely possible for CSGO. Members of the eSports community have pointed to the need to help casual viewers “get up to speed.” Unfortunately, with competitive gaming, this is best accomplished by playing a game title.
Alternatively, TBS must emphasize characteristics of gameplay over specific complexities. The overall speed, collaboration and execution required by teams at the professional level are better relayed to a TV audience than strategic particulars. The pressure of events, the challenges of performing at the highest level possible, etc. can help sell eSports to viewers who aren’t gamers and/or aren’t convinced that video gaming is a sport. This approach is more realistic than coverage that assumes widespread knowledge and acceptance.
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Alex Fletcher is founder & president at eSports Group, where he helps customers meet their eSports advisory & consulting needs. When Alex isn’t glued to a screen, he spends time with his wife, their two dogs, and pretends to learn Polish. Feel free to stalk him on Twitter – @FletchUnleashed