For those that are interested in watching esports, there are a number of different options available that don’t even involve leaving the house. Of course, you can actually head out and go to one of the tournaments in person and get involved in the games that way, but often these tournaments are located in far-off destinations that can be expensive and hard to get to.
With that in mind, the esports industry has made it very easy for stay-at-home fans to enjoy the thrill of the game regardless of where they live.
Where to watch esports
However, once it is known that there is the possibility to watch esports online, the next question that arises is where to do so. It is much harder to find places to watch this type of sport, as it has come significantly later in the online world than other sports.
This means that there is vastly less monitoring available, which does make it hard for newcomers to actually find what it is that they need. In recent times though, a number of different online services have gradually developed to support streaming of these online games and now there are a multitude of different platforms that viewers can choose between.
From smaller, unknown sites, there are now a number of bigger sites such as Viaplay that are also offering the possibility to stream tournaments and other esporting events. As the esports world continues to grow, it can be expected that the streaming possibilities will also grow over time, making this a much more mainstream sport in future years.
Watch esports online
There are a number of sites that viewers can use to stream esports. The best of these will be outlined below so that players can choose their preference at their leisure.
Esports on Twitch
Twitch is possibly the largest and best of all the sites when it comes to streaming esports. The site was established in 2011 and has become the biggest site for streaming esports and other video games in the entire world. Currently, the site hosts over 15 million visitors in a single day, making this the perfect hub for both newcomers and oldies to the online gaming scene.
To add to the excitement of being able to watch the games in progress, viewers are also able to interact with the teams and individual players and also with other viewers. This adds an extra interactive element to the platform and serves to further push it to the forefront of the streaming world.
In order to achieve this high level of interaction, Twitch has an individual channel dedicated to each team. It is also here that the major events are actually broadcast. Viewers can choose to follow specific channels that they are interested in, be it by game, team or individual player.
To top off the already comprehensive list of positives, Twitch is a free platform, allowing users to access most of its areas without the need for any payment. Of course, there is a subscription version available, which will remove the ads and is home to a few other benefits, but for the average viewer, the standard option is usually just fine.
Esports on YouTube
The major video streaming platform that is YouTube has also joined in on the esports revolution. There are now channels which will offer live streaming of some of the major events, as well as other channels offering clips and replays from older events. Users can interact to some degree with other viewers through the chat function below each video, though it is not really built for the esports world.
However, YouTube is always on the lookout for new ventures so it is highly likely that it will improve its platform further to encompass the ability to live stream more events. The other bonus at this time is that the site is free for viewers to use as there are paid adverts for the content.
Esports on Facebook
Facebook is one of the most recent arrivals to the esports world, having just signed a deal with ESL in early 2017. This recent collaboration is an excellent move for all parties as it has helped to push the esports world into a more mainstream environment.
Facebook has nearly 2 billion users, all of whom will now have access to esports events via this platform. There are also numerous Facebook pages in place that will continue to raise awareness of this game to the masses.
Esports on Twitter
In a similar vein to Facebook, Twitter also made an agreement with ESL and also with DreamHack in 2017. This new understanding allows Twitter to stream fifteen different events from these two major leagues on its platform.
Twitter has previously collaborated with Eleague to stream some of their events, including final and semi-final games. As well as Twitter streaming the games, ESL will be producing 30-minute episodes specifically aimed at users on Twitter, and like the other platforms, viewers can access the streams for free.
Television broadcast
The last two viewing options have been around for a while. SVT has been the front-runner in esports for many years and helped to bring esports into the public eye, particularly in Sweden. The best part about it is that it can be watched on the TV and only requires an up-to-date TV license in order to work.
Viaplay has also taken broadcasting sporting events very seriously and offers a huge number of esport options. This requires a package though, with Viaplay Sports usually being the best option in this case.