After some initial articles introducing the league, ESPN and Major League Gaming have entered a content sharing agreement.
As part of the deal, MLG will host co-branded tournaments with ESPN and ESPN will cover MLG players and competitions in a brand new videogaming section.
The news comes just one month after the completion of the first season of the Championship Gaming Series. Not coincidentally, both CGS and MLG are pushing the “sport” angle of e-Sports pretty hard. I’d have to say that MLG has the edge at the moment, but there’s really no telling how much money changed hands here.
If MLG had to part with a few million to get this set up, they may not come out ahead after all. Remember, CGS has its own distribution platform, while MLG has to pay others to get broadcasts and coverage out there.
Still, the content sharing agreement is a good thing for e-Sports. It’s just not the “original” e-Sports (that is to say, PC gaming) — MLG is best known for its Halo tournaments, but according to MLG CEO Michael Sepso, the door is open for games on any platform.
Read the full press release after the jump.
