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Blizzard and Disney partner to bring Overwatch League to ESPN, other networks

ESPN, Disney XD, ABC, related networks will broadcast the competition's inaugural season

Disney and Blizzard have partnered to bring broadcasts of Overwatch League to major networks. The league's quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals will air across Disney-owned networks including Disney XD and ESPN, with a highlights recap appearing on ABC.

"We are pleased to partner with Activision Blizzard to bring Overwatch esports to our audience," said Marc Buhaj, senior VP at Disney XD. "The Blizzard team has created a genre-leading esport and a premium professional franchise system in the Overwatch League. We are kicking off the agreement by showcasing the inaugural season playoffs and Grand Finals live across our linear footprint. Together with our telecast partners at ESPN, we look forward to growing a legion of new Overwatch fans across the next two years."

Playoff coverage will begin on July 11 and will conclude with the finals July 27-28. The events will air live across ESPN and Disney XD, while a highlight recap will appear on ABC on July 29. The latter will be the first time an esports championship has been broadcast on ABC. Broadcasts will also be viewable via the networks' respective mobile apps.

Disney and Blizzard's partnership is a multiyear deal that will continue into 2019 and next year's league events.

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Rebekah Valentine

Senior Staff Writer

Rebekah arrived at GamesIndustry in 2018 after four years of freelance writing and editing across multiple gaming and tech sites. When she's not recreating video game foods in a real life kitchen, she's happily imagining herself as an Animal Crossing character.