Movistar+ will integrate eSports content into its current sports offer

Telefónica signs an agreement with ESL, one of the largest electronic sports companies in the world.

Telefónica has announced that its commercial brand in Spain, Movistar, will put electronic games at the center of its strategy in the world of sports and content. And all this based on the leadership and technological vanguard of the company, which has the best fiber and 4G communications infrastructure to raise the bar for eSports in Spain.

To achieve this, Telefónica Spain signs a strategic agreement with ESL, the largest eSports company in the world; develops a platform of exclusive content for the digital environment and for Movistar+, and creates a professional electronic sports club.

eSports share the same values ​​of training, improvement, commitment and teamwork as more conventional disciplines and that is why Movistar welcomes them as a natural step in its trajectory of unconditional support for sport through different sponsorship programs.

Movistar has been collaborating for years in major eSports events - creating LAN parties and providing the best fiber to high competitions - and now aims to develop and promote eSports in Spain and become one of its main protagonists.

Luis Miguel Gilpérez, president of Telefónica Spain, has presented the three major milestones that the company will carry out to achieve its goal. "All of this will form an ecosystem of electronic games in this country that, added to the best telecommunications networks, will place Telefónica and its Movistar brand at the epicenter of this mass phenomenon that the youngest people follow with such enthusiasm. We want to do our part in eSports, which we think are the "sport of the 21st century."

Strategic agreement with ESL

La alianza entre Telefónica y ESL tiene el objetivo de reforzar el impulso actual de los juegos electrónicos en el territorio nacional. Ambas entidades sumarán sus capacidades para impulsar las competiciones Amateurs & Profesionales en nuestro país y atraer el mejor talento nacional e internacional, así como desarrollar actividades y programas para todos los niveles de competición.

In addition, the agreement contemplates the localization into Spanish and the customization with experts from the sector, of the large international ESL competitions in our country on Movistar+. Movistar will also be present at the largest gaming fairs and eSports events through ESL Arena and ESL Expo

Gilpérez highlighted that "Movistar will provide eSports with the best fiber connectivity, which is a key aspect for an optimal gaming experience. The agreement with ESL will allow us from now on to be next to the new eSports talents, whom we hope to help achieve their dreams, just as we have done until now with the new promises of other sports."

Content platform

The content creation platform is the second pillar of Movistar's commitment to electronic games, which will be disseminated through all channels: digital media, social networks and television. Thus, Movistar+ will integrate programming with eSports content into its current sports offer, providing fans with an incomparable showcase to enjoy and feel the emotion of this discipline in a way unprecedented in Spain.

Movistar eSports (on dial 29, within the IPTV and DTS platforms), will offer the big events of this sport such as ESL ONE, ESL Intel Extreme, ESL Masters Series. Each of the 13 tournaments planned for 2017 will have up to 25 hours live with language customization. In addition, it will have exclusive content generated in the Riders' high performance center, the Movistar Game Center, with daily monitoring of the team.

On Movistar Deportes 1 (Dial 55) and Movistar Deportes 2 (Dial 56) fans will be able to enjoy specific slots of eSports content. Also on channel #0 (dial 7), the largest window on the platform with reach up to 4 million homes, a space will be offered for current affairs and news about the world of eSports in the daily newscast Minuto #0.

Movistar Stadium will broadcast a weekly magazine. To learn more about the daily life of the professionals, up to 20 reports will be made on some of the best players at the national level, as well as 10 special ones on the highlights of the season along with pieces dedicated to the Top 10 players in the world ranking.

In parallel and in line with current demand, Movistar will create a digital platform that guarantees that fans always have a place on the network where they can consult the latest news or programming; enjoy audiovisual content; purchase your favorite games; participate in contests, or enjoy advantages, discounts, etc.

eSports are the sport of the 21st century as demonstrated by the exponential growth of their audience during the last year, a period in which they have reached a total of 293 million fans and casual followers, with a growth forecast for the next three years of up to 490 million. And Movistar, as a brand, once again “chooses everything” and positions itself alongside this new digital phenomenon.

Club Movistar Riders

At the same time, Movistar has created Movistar Riders, an eSports club made up of several professional video game teams, where young talents in these electronic sports will be able to develop their sporting career, with all the technical support and physical preparation necessary, following the model of large sports clubs in other disciplines.

The club will have a physical headquarters, Movistar Gaming Center, a true high-performance center that, in addition to being the training place for the Movistar Riders teams, will be the meeting point for professionals, players and fans.

Movistar Riders, que tendrá la estructura propia de un club deportivo profesional, arranca con cinco equipos, que vestirán la equipación oficial del club, en los siguientes juegos: Overwatch, Hearthstone, Counter Strike:Global Offensive, Call Of Duty y League Of Legends.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKXENvzQMCA