ESPN partners with EA Sports for FIFA World Grand Final broadcast

Sport and eSports are getting closer and closer. It is indeed becoming a reality as EA (Electronic Arts) Sports getting ready to deliver the best for FIFA 17 championships. While the regional finals were a success, EA Sports has accelerated the pace for the World Final. It announced a partnership with the biggest sports channel in the United States of America, ESPN (Entertainment Sport Programming Network Incorporated). The latter will therefore be the official broadcasters of the FIFA 17 World Grand Final.

ESPN, founded in 1979, is an American sports television company, founded by ESPN Inc., a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company and Hearst Corporation since 1996. Headquartered in Redwood City, California, Electronic Arts, on its side, is a world leader in interactive digital entertainment. The company produces games, content and online services for consoles connected to the internet, PCs, mobile phones and tablets. EA has more than 300 million registered players worldwide.

EA SPORTS is a leader of the market

EA Sports has teamed up with the ESPN group to broadcast the FIFA Ultimate Team Championship Series to the world finals on May 20th. Before the Grand Final, six regional finals will be broadcast on ESPN 2, ESPN 3 and ESPN Deportes. These will be available in English, Spanish and Portuguese in many countries (USA, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil and the Caribbean). It should be noted that last weekend ESPN retransmitted the regional tournament of Paris.

ESPN Deportes- 80 percent owned by the Walt Disney Company and 20 percent owned by Hearst Corporation- is a cable television channel of the US ESPN package and a radio network associated with ESPN Radio. They are all dedicated to the broadcasting of American sports events in Spanish and are broadcast continuously in the United States.

ESPN seems to be accelerating on eSports with this important agreement with EA. Among the first noticed initiatives, one recalls the live broadcast on Saturday evening of the final of the tournament of fighting games “EVO”. Moreover, in just a few months, its website dedicated to the eSports has become a reference in the eSportive treatment.

Todd Sitrin, senior vice president of EA’s Competitive Gaming Division, lauded this partnership. “Since a long time ago, we have understood the potential of video games competition. We are very pleased that ESPN is contributing to our dream in order to have more fans viewing our tournaments.”

Electronic Arts is multiplying the distribution agreements confirming its move towards an increasingly assertive status of rights-holders, gradually changing its economic model. EA has extended this strategy to NFL Madden. In December, it teamed up with NFL Media to cover the Madden NFL Championship Series.

Video games are very popular worldwide

Video games are now among the most influential channels. Game designers are recognized worldwide as creative leaders and the best universities offer specialized courses in the development of video games and consoles, PCs, smartphones and other tablets have invaded our daily lives.

Video games generate more revenue than music or film. In the Fiscal Year 2014, EA reported a GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) net income of 3.6 billion US dollars. EA is known for its high quality franchises such as The Sims, Need For Speed, EA SPORTS FIFA, Battlefield, Dragon Age and Plants vs. Zombies.

During the eSports Daily News roundtable on eSports Daily News, Florent Houzot, editor of beIN SPORTS said he was “seduced and impressed by the visual and sound quality of the football simulation games” while adding that “no doubt part of the future of football will be played in simulation”.

Video games have eminently become a social activity for many persons. This is far from the limited experiences of one or two players originally proposed. In short, video games, once considered a simple fashion, are now an integral part of our society.

Forthcoming games up to the Grand Final

The following schedule has been established for the upcoming games:

• Sunday, February 19 (Miami): Live at 7pm on ESPN2 & ESPN Deportes
• Saturday, April 8 (Vancouver): Live at 8pm on ESPN2 & ESPN Deportes
• Saturday, April 22 (Singapore): Live at 6am on ESPN2 & ESPN Deportes
• Saturday, May 6 (Madrid): Live at 11am on ESPN2 & ESPN Deportes
• Saturday, May 20 (Berlin — Grand Final): Live at 11am on ESPN2 & ESPN Deportes