For the first time, eSports be in primetime because The CW has partnered with Machinima, which is a digital network and together they will bring "Mortal Kombat X's" docuseries "Chasing The Cup," broadcasting it on television, according to CNBC.
"There could be an interesting opportunity for us, as we are seeing our digital and broadcast audience migrate back and forth (between platforms)," said Rick Haskins, The CW executive vice president of marketing and digital programs. "We think that this model could be interesting where we do a pregame on digital and move the actual event to broadcast. We can move people back and forth within our ecosystem."
Haskins added that the idea to bring eSports to The CW began two years earlier and their internal research found out that, viewers who watched "The Flash," "iZombie" and "Arrow" were 300 percent more likely to be into eSports.
The third season of "Chasing The Cup" series will focus on "Mortal Kombat X" players, who are vying for an eSports championship. These are players who want to win in the ESL Mortal Kombat X Pro League Finals.
"The stories are there if you have great characters," said Machinima chief content officer Daniel Tibbets, a former Bunim slash Murray Productions executive. "It's really a great series, and a great format that translates to TV. Mortal Kombat X is also a game that I think anybody can understand. It's a fighting game."
It seems that eSports is starting to make a mark on television because in December, Turner Broadcasting announced that they are forming an eSports league, alongside agencies WME slash IMG. They added that they will air television content on TBS, revealed Digital Trends.
Also increasing their editorial coverage is ESPN, who has aired some competitions on its networks. In 2009 to 2010, SyFy showed two season of "WCG Ultimate Gamer," which is a reality competition.
The third season's first four episodes, of the "Mortal Kombat X" series "Chasing The Cup," will air on The CW Seed on Feb. 15 at 8 p.m. eastern, reported Screen Rant.