16th Jun 2016 09:38
LONDON (Alliance News) - Sky PLC and ITV PLC have teamed up with video gaming channel Ginx TV Ltd to launch a 24 hour eSports television channel in the UK and Ireland, dubbed GINX eSports TV.
Sky and ITV are expected to take minority stakes in the business to support its growth.
The channel will show major eSports tournaments as well as independent programming, including Turner Broadcasting System Inc's ELEAGUE tournament, FACEIT's eSports Championship Series, and Valve Corp's The International Dota 2 tournament which GINX will cover live from its new studio in King's Cross.
It also has other content partners including Riot Games, Activison Publishing Inc, and London-listed Gfinity PLC.
"This is an exciting new partnership which will help us develop our understanding of eSports and its audience. At Sky we are committed to bringing new programmes and channels such as GINX eSports TV to support and extend our leadership position in content. We look forward to working with Ginx and ITV on developing a channel which will capture the growing appetite for eSports," said Emma Lloyd, group director of business development and strategic partnerships at Sky said.
"eSports is experiencing phenomenal growth and Ginx's vision is to bring together two incredibly popular forms of entertainment - gaming and television - to create a unique, global proposition. We're delighted to be partnering with Ginx and Sky as part of our strategy to target younger audiences, develop new programming genres and expand internationally," said Simon Pitts, managing director of online, pay and interactive at ITV, said.
Shares in Sky were up 0.4% at 856.50 pence Thursday, whilst ITV was down 0.5% at 197.10 pence.
By Hana Stewart-Smith; [email protected]; @HanaSSAllNews
Copyright 2016 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
Related Shares:
SkyGfinityITV