Twitch has signed a deal with Blizzard in order to become the exclusive third-party provider of the Overwatch League events in all regions with the exception of China, for the next two years. This covers the first two seasons of the league, including regular season events, playoffs, and finals. The streaming company will offer this content in English, Korean, and French.
Talking about the deal, Twitch COO Kevin Lin said: “The Overwatch League is making a major impact on esports by reshaping the industry with city-based teams. Given Overwatch’s consistent reign as a top viewed game by our community, we look forward to offering their pioneering style of league play to a large and passionate fanbase that will be able to bond over not only their favorite plays, but hometown pride.”
The deal is not a surprise considering that Twitch and Blizzard have a long history of collaborating for esports events. Currently Twitch has secured exclusive rights for a variety of events concerning the developer’s main franchises, including the Heroes of the Storm Global Championship, Hearthstone Championship Tour, StarCraft II World Championship Series, and more.
Stage 1 of the Overwatch League starts on Thurdsay January 11th.
