Hulu is the latest big media platform to jump on the eSports bandwagon. The streaming service said on Monday that it is ordering four new original TV series about the popular online-gaming competitions from ESL, the company behind some of the world’s largest eSports tournaments.
ESL is developing and producing the four new series, which will include reality series and documentary series focused on the world of eSports, rather than streaming the actual live action from eSports tournaments that can already be found on digital services such as Amazon’s Twitch or Google’s YouTube.
The eSports shows coming to Hulu later this fall include Player V. Player, a game-style debate show where “esports influencers” will discuss hot topics in the industry, as well as Bootcamp, a docu-series following the Immortals, one of the world’s top eSports teams that competes in tournaments for games like Valve Corporation’s Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Activision Blizzard’s Overwatch.
Defining Moments is another new original eSports series that will feature discussions and interviews on “the most impactful moments in eSports history,” while ESL Replay will be a documentary-style recap show focused on notable moments from the biggest eSports tournaments in the world.
Get Data Sheet, Coins2Day’s technology newsletter.
“Esports is one of the fastest growing areas of media and entertainment, and, through this first-of-its-kind deal with ESL, we can now bring the popular world of esports to Hulu,” Lisa Holme, Hulu’s vice president of content acquisition, said in a statement.
The new series will mark the first eSports content to stream on Hulu—which is jointly-owned by four major TV networks—but, several other major networks and digital services have already cut deals to get in on a growing industry that is expected to generate more than $1 billion in revenue by 2019.
Earlier this year, Facebook signed a deal with ESL to live-stream eSports tournaments and highlight shows, while Walt Disney-owned properties ESPN and BAMTech have both invested heavily in eSports coverage and streaming deals.
