Still not a sport
ESPN 2 has aired competitive hot dog eating, log cutting, and a lot of boring poker. Still, it surprised me thatESPN 2 aired a brief bitonDota 2‘s The International, and that the online-based ESPN 3 aired the entire competition.
According to a source speaking toThe Daily Dot, ESPN was “delighted” with howDota 2performed in terms of ratings and is ready to buy in. “ESPN have seen enough recent successes with eSports and are about to double down,” the source said. “The numbers they hit with The International have only cemented the view that the time is right.”
ESPN recently partnered with MLG for aCall of Dutyevent at the Austin X Games, though none of that was aired on its network. Could be thatCall of Dutystarts popping up on ESPN 3 (or even 2) soon. The audience is definitely right.
ESPN ‘delighted’ with ‘Dota 2’ numbers, looking to expand deeper into esports[The Daily Dot]
