ELEAGUE, the esports brand operated by Turner and IMG, set a new cable television viewership record last week, hitting an average audience of almost 700,000 for an episode of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. This week, it announced a new partnership with Nintendo.
The Counter-Strike: Global Offensive episode that aired on TBS last Friday was the most-viewed esports program in cable history, Turner Sports said. Building off that momentum will be a three-part series showcasing Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The upcoming sequel won’t be released until Dec. 7, but ELEAGUE will produce those episodes for TBS to air in November.
Some of the other esports ELEAGUE has already broadcast include CS:GO, Street Fighter V, Dota 2, and Overwatch.
SportTechie Takeaway
Until recently, Nintendo had shied away from the competitive gaming community surrounding its titles. Smash Brothers tournaments were a piecemeal collection rather than following an intentional schedule. This partnership with ELEAGUE indicates Nintendo’s further embrace of esports. Turner, meanwhile, continues to push esports to a more mainstream audience beyond that already on Twitch and YouTube.