Press release
PARIS, LONDON and LOS ANGELES – April 22, 2008 – The Eurosport Group and Championship Gaming Series (CGS) announced today that Eurosport has signed a deal with BSkyB (Sky) that grants Eurosport the exclusive continental European broadcast rights for Championship Gaming Series, the only worldwide professional video gaming league.Highlights from the inaugural 2007 series will be broadcast in primetime on Eurosport 2 April 28 – May 3, followed by the highly anticipated 2008 season later this year, bringing CGS programming to 41 nations in continental Europe for the first time, including France, Germany, Spain and Italy. Eurosport 2's broadcast footprint for CGS will complement Sky’s coverage in the UK and Ireland, DIRECTV’s coverage in the Americas, and STAR and ESPN STAR Sports broadcasts in Asia and Australia. The addition of Eurosport 2 coverage will expand the overall reach of televised CGS programming to more than 400 million potential viewers across five continents.
“The video game industry has exploded during the past few years and expanded its mainstream appeal to an ever-growing audience, and with this latest announcement we at CGS are increasing the level of mainstream exposure for our teams and professional players,” said Andy Reif, Chief Executive Officer and Commissioner for CGS. “Our broadcast production values are, by far, the best in pro gaming and this distribution deal with Eurosport will introduce CGS to more than thirty million new European households and raise the profile of our sport with the television audience throughout Europe.”
“We're delighted to have established this relationship with CGS and to consolidate our strong relationship with Sky," said Jean-Thierry Augustin, General Manager, Distribution and Development at Eurosport. "CGS is the right professional gaming partner for Eurosport as it shares our belief in high production values and passion in sports and combines this with an infrastructure which will turn competitive video gaming into a major spectator sport across the globe. We can’t wait to bring the excitement, energy, and entertainment of CGS competitions into Eurosport homes across Europe. This is a unique opportunity for Eurosport 2 to talk to a growing element of its youth audience and strengthen its position as the next generation sports channel."
CGS is the world’s only professional video gaming league with full-time General Managers and contracted gamers on teams throughout the world that compete in televised regional qualifying events and a World Final to win more than a million dollars in cash prizes.
Along with the televised broadcast rights for mainland Europe, Eurosport also has secondary broadcasting rights for the UK and Ireland following the original broadcasts on Sky. Additionally, Eurosport has received rights for CGS mobile and broadband broadcast.
