Intel Extreme Masters Sydney event to be live streamed on twitter
With an anticipated 10,000 fans expected to attend this weekend’s Intel® Extreme Masters at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena, the event is set to reach an even larger global audience via social media network Twitter with up to six million people expected to live stream the contest in more than 160 nations.
The milestone tournament, the first world-class eSports event to be held in Sydney, will also be the first tournament to be live streamed as a result of a recent deal between Twitter and leading eSports companies, ESL and DreamHack, to live stream esports events in 2017.
The longest running global pro gaming tour in the world, the main event at Intel® Extreme Masters Sydney will see eight Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) teams competing for a record prize pool of $260,000.
To date, six of the international invited teams have won over US$3.8 million dollars in major tournaments.
The event’s community stage will feature competitions from SMITE, Rocket League and League of Legends.
Further features of IEM available to attendees is an extensive Free Play area to enjoy casual matches, while the Intel Experience Zone and vendor areas will allow fans to see the latest in tech and gaming.
Looking forward to the event, Tim McGregor, Managing Director of TEG Live, the promoter of this weekend’s Intel® Extreme Masters, comments “obviously, the thousands of players of CS:GO will come to see the heroes of their sport.
“But, for me, any self-respecting Australian fan of sport which features globally elite players must check out the Intel Extreme Masters on 6th and 7th May as this will feature the very best players on the planet competing for huge prize money.”
The event will kick off the global circuit in IEM’s 12th season, with Sydney being the first stop on the global tour.
The event in Sydney will mark the first time that eSports in Australia will be staging a spectacle similar to major European, North American and Asian events.
Speaking in advance to the event Vice President of Pro Gaming at ESL Michal Blicharz commented on his expectation that the Sydney event will be the biggest eSports event to hit Australian shores.
In mid March, Blicharz tweeted “IEM Sydney ticket sales are the fastest selling #IEM event outside of Katowice (Poland). Australia, I'm impressed.”
The deal between Twitter, ESL and DreamHack will also see ESL produce live original content for Twitter, including a weekly 30-minute show featuring highlights and behind-the-scenes footage. All DreamHack events will also be live streamed
Commenting on the partnership, Twitter Chief Operating Officer, Anthony Noto stated “eSports is growing at a rapid pace and we see this collaboration as a way to tap into the engaged audience of gamers that are already using Twitter as a primary source of content.
“By partnering with the leading esports companies like ESL and DreamHack, we look forward to bringing the best of esports live video and conversation together on Twitter.
ESL Vice President Social Media and Editorial Johannes Schiefer, added “eSports fans are endemic to digital and this partnership with Twitter expands ESL’s reach for all of our major tournaments for fans around the globe.”
Held over two weekends in late February and early March in the Polish city of Katowice, the culmination of IEM Season XI, saw 173,000 fans pack the city’s Spodek Arena.
Earlier this week, the AFL signalled that it will be entering the eSports market with plans to hold a tournament at Etihad Stadium later this year.
The rise of eSports is a feature in the May/June 2017 issue of Australasian Leisure Management.
Images: 173,000 fans at the Intel Extreme Masters World Championship.in Katowice, Poland earlier this year.
4th May 2017 - MOST PROFESSIONAL SPORTS TEAMS TO SOON HAVE AN ESPORTS PRESENCE
28th April 2017 - ASIAN GAMES 2022 TO FEATURE ESPORTS EVENTS
10th March 2017 - TEG LIVE PARTNERSHIP TO BRING IEM ESPORTS EVENT TO SYDNEY
2nd March 2017 - CHINESE ESPORTS PLAYERS GENERATE US$730 MILLION IN REVENUE
16th February 2017 - NBA TAPS INTO THE FAST GROWING ESPORTS MARKET
25th January 2017 - QUDOS BANK ARENA INSTALLS LARGEST CENTERHUNG LED VIDEO SYSTEM IN SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE
20th January 2017 - AUSTRALASIAN VENUES STRONG PERFORMERS IN POLLSTAR 2016 TICKET SALES CHART
