We’ve already shouted about why BBC Three is important, but here’s another example of the channel’s innovation. Today they have announced that they will be the first major UK broadcaster to start showing eSports.
According to the press release, they’ll be showing coverage of the League of Legends World Championships live from Wembley. It’s a bit vague as to how the coverage will actually be presented—it says it will be ‘livestreamed’, which suggests it might just be online and on the red button, a bit like how they cover Glastonbury. But still, it’s notable that traditional media is starting to realise that eSports are now a big fucking deal. It’ll be presented by Radio 1 and 1xtra’s Dev Griffin (who’s an ‘avid gamer’, according to the press release), with established League Of Legends casters Leigh ‘Deman’ Smith and James ‘Stress’ O’Leary acting as the Alan Shearer to his Gary Lineker.
BBC Three controller Damian Kavanagh, Controller said: “We jumped at the chance to collaborate with BBC Sport and bring this massive UK event to a wider audience. BBC Three will always experiment with new ways to deliver content that young people want, in ways they want. I think this is an exciting way to cover something millions of young Brits love, in a BBC Three way.”
