ESPN to Play for eSports Tournament Once Again

Under the terms of the agreement, ESPN will broadcast the “Madden NFL 19” Championship Series Tournaments across its networks for the second year. “Last year, a record three million players competed in the MCS, and the Madden NFL 18 Challenge was the number-one rated 2017 eSports broadcast in North America,” says Todd Sitrin, senior vice president and general manager, competitive gaming division, EA. “In continued partnership with the NFL, its 32 clubs and ESPN, we accelerate with more tournaments, an extended season, a record ‘Madden NFL 19’ Club Championship prize pool, increased live event qualification spots and top-tier digital and linear programming available on ESPN. We are maximizing the ways to play and watch Madden.”The new competition will offer 60 percent more tournaments than the last. We’re thrilled to continue our relationship with EA and the NFL as we showcase world-class competition through Madden,” says John Lasker, vice president, digital media programming, ESPN. “We have a long history with the NFL, and this multiyear Madden engagement is a natural evolution to our relationship and illustrates our commitment to eSports as we amplify Madden across our ESPN global platforms.”The competition includes online matchmaking, grassroots tournaments known as “challenger events,” large-scale exhibitions known as “premier events,” and the four EA Majors–“Madden NFL 19” Classic (Oct. 11-13), “Madden NFL 19” Club Championship (Jan. 30-Feb. 2), “Madden NFL 19” Challenge (Mar. 15-17), and “Madden NFL 19” Bowl (NFL Draft week).