 | |
| Founded | May 24, 2016 |
|---|---|
| Commissioner | Min-Sik Ko[1] |
| No. of teams | varies |
| Headquarters | Atlanta, Georgia, United States |
| Most recent champion(s) |  Cloud9 |
| Most titles |  Virtus.pro OpTic Gaming PG | Punk FaZe Clan FOX | Tokido Astralis Cloud9 |
| TV partner(s) | |
| Official website | www |
| ELeague | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Esports |
| Presented by | Richard Lewis (journalist) |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Production locations | Atlanta, Georgia, US |
| Production company | TNT Sports |
| Original release | |
| Network | TBS |
| Release | May 24, 2016 |
| Infobox instructions (only shown in preview) | |
ELeague, shortened as EL, and stylized as ΞLEAGUE is an esports league and American television program that airs on TBS. It was announced in September 2015 as a partnership between Turner Broadcasting and talent agency WME/IMG.[3] The name "ELeague" was officially unveiled later that year.[4]
Launched with Counter-Strike: Global Offensive in May 2016, the league featured 24 teams from across the world to compete in two 10-week league seasons annually,[3] which includes a regular season, playoffs, and a championship.[5] ELeague currently has no plans to lock teams into exclusivity, unlike the Championship Gaming Series, a previous attempt to bring professional video games to television in the United States.[3] Matches are broadcast live on TBS every Monday night.[6]
ELeague later shortened the number of teams in the tournament to sixteen for CS:GO. The third season of ELeague featured the popular fighting game Street Fighter. EL also featured side events, such as the Overwatch Open and the Rocket League Cup. The addition of esports programming was of part of a plan to revamp original programming for TBS.[7] The broadcast is simultaneously available online through Twitch and YouTube, with additional content also being streamed.[8][9] Matches are played at the Turner Studios facility in Atlanta.[10][11]
- ^ "@minsikko" on Twitter
- ^ "ELeague será transmitido pelo Esporte Interativo e terá campeonatos de Street Fighter V". IGN Brasil (in Brazilian Portuguese). March 23, 2017.
- ^ a b c Lewis, Richard (September 23, 2015). "Turner set to unveil televised esports league featuring CS:GO". The Daily Dot. Retrieved November 16, 2015.
- ^ Heitner, Darren (December 4, 2015). "New Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) League Announces $1.2 Million Prize Pool". Forbes. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
- ^ Frank, Allegra (September 24, 2015). "eSports comes to primetime on TBS in 2016 with Counter-Strike: Global Offensive". Polygon. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
- ^ Spangler, Todd (September 23, 2015). "Turner, WME/IMG Form E-Sports League, With TBS to Air Live Events". Variety. Retrieved November 16, 2015.
- ^ Dave, Paresh (September 23, 2015). "Competitive video gaming is set to return to TV in 2016". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
- ^ "Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. and WME | IMG Form Strategic Partnership to Create Groundbreaking eSports League". Time Warner. September 24, 2015. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
- ^ Wynne, Jared (November 6, 2015). "Turner plans to partner with an online streaming company, expand into other esports". The Daily Dot. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
- ^ Schwartz, Nick (September 23, 2015). "Turner buys into eSports with creation of new 'Counter-Strike' league". USA Today.
- ^ Higgins, Chris (September 24, 2015). "Turner Broadcasting unveils new televised CS:GO league". MCV. Retrieved November 16, 2015.