Starting on October 15th, BBC Three will be airing the quarter finals of the League of Legends World Championships. The event will take place at London’s Wembley Stadium and will be screened live on the BBC Three website, a channel normally reserved for big sporting events and the Glastonbury music festival. BBC Radio 1’s Dev Griffin will be on hand to host the event which is being streamed live in partnership with BBC Sport.
“We jumped at the chance to collaborate with BBC Sport and bring this massive UK event to a wider audience,” said Damian Kavanagh, controller of BBC Three. “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.”
League of Legends commentator Leigh ‘Deman’ Smith added: “I’m delighted to be part of the BBC’s coverage at Wembley Arena. Worlds has been amazing so far and it’s great to see the BBC getting involved and raising awareness of esports in the UK.”
This move from the BBC is another step towards generating a mainstream following for E-sports around the globe. Over 70 million hours of League of Legends live streams were watched last year so it comes as no surprise that major TV networks are taking a serious look at delivering the content.
For more information about the League of Legends World Championships check out the link here.