Trailblazer: Behind the scenes of Europe's first esports channels eSports1 and eSportsOne By Heather McLean, Editor
Thursday, April 22, 2021 - 15:16
Print This Story
The German media company, Sport1, will extend the reach of Europe's first dedicated esport channels - eSports1 and eSportsOne globally, following a European regionalisation plan.
The eSports1 channel was launched in January 2019 as the first linear TV channel for esports in the German-speaking region across Germany, Austria and Switzerland. It shows 1,200 live hours per year of international and national esports events, as well as highlight shows and in-house produced magazine shows.
After the successful launch of eSports1, Sport1 implemented a pan-European channel project with the start of eSportsOne on 3 November 2020 that currently broadcasts in English, although Daniel von Busse, COO TV and member of the management of Sport1, told SVG Europe that there are plans to offer regional languages across Europe going forward.
We don't differentiate today whether it's the Champions League football or a major esport event; it's all about good content and how we present the content and that's what [our content partners] really appreciate
Central content partners at launch and today for both platforms are ESL, Blizzard, EA Sport, the NBA 2K League and Psyonix with the esports titles Dota 2, Starcraft 2, Warcraft 3, NBA 2K, Overwatch and Rocket League.
Says Busse: In January 2019 we launched the German version for Germany, Austria and Switzerland. This is a dedicated platform, so we have an app - eSport1 app - and you can go directly to the app store and download it. Within this app, we have articles, VoDs, and also the linear channel. This model in Germany, Austria and Switzerland has been very, very successful and we got a lot of demand from the rest of Europe, so we [now] have this European version of the German language version.
The 24/7 programming for eSportsOne now comprises of over 1,200 to 1,400 live hours per year of international esports events as well as exclusive, self-produced analysis formats and VoD.
We believe in live, and I think this is the key driver of the channel, Busse says.
The driver to create the wider European version of the German language platform came from both the streaming platforms and sponsors, says Busse. The interest came from two sides. The business model is we are working together with the platforms, so we are putting our channel on certain platforms like A1, Swisscom, and Amazon and we have talked with DAZN and so on. We had a lot of pan-European platforms coming to us saying, this is a great idea and we want to have this channel in our portfolio .
The other demand came from the sponsors like Mercedes and the big brands. They came to us and said, this is really nice because we want to get into the esports environment so can you present us with a pan-European version of this, because we want to have pan-European distribution? .
In side the eSportsONE studio in Munich, Germany
Not Twitch or YouTube
eSports1 and eSportsOne are the first dedicated esport channels in Europe, notes Busse. There are some successful [dedicated esports platforms] in Asia where esport has actually come from, but in Europe, I think this is the first dedicated esports channel.
The idea of this is having a premium platform dedicated to esport. This is something that is differentiating us to platforms like Twitch or YouTube; they are more streaming platforms and they are doing a great job in that, but we have a different approach. We're working with a huge editorial team so it's more premium TV with a high editorial approach.
Today eSports1 is distributed on all the major platforms in Germany today, and Busse says, we are working on the distribution situation regarding the rest of Europe [for eSportsOne], but this is just the beginning .
Busse says these platforms are not Sport1's first foray into esports: We have a long history with esports; we started in 2010 or 2011 with our first moves and we tried it out a little bit. We had it on our digital platform, some articles and some VoDs, and we figured out it is actually something that is fitting to our platform.
Daniel von Busse, COO TV and member of the management of Sport1
World domination
On where the pan-European platform is going next, Busse laughs, on all major platforms all over the world . He adds: We secured the [content] rights on a pan-European base, so we are in the position to go to all territories across Europe right now and these talks are ongoing, but due to the actual [pandemic] situation it is a little bit slow. Even though we have a huge demand from the rest of Europe, it's different to talk about this project in person than on Teams or something. I would expect we would have been even quicker [to expand the platform] without COVID-19.
As for the future of the two platforms, Busse says: We want to have an even better distribution situation in Europe with talks to other territories; this is the first step. The second step is to have a more regional approach, not just an English speaking version but we want to have a focus on each of the major territories, not only in regards to the language, but also in regards to the titles and the athletes. For example, in England there is the cricket, but you wouldn't be successful with a cricket channel in Germany.
With esport it's pretty much the same; it's not one sport, it's like the Olympics with many different sports. The titles are differently successful in different territories. You want to have an editorial approach to certain athletes and more regionalised product in the territories. That would be the next step for us.
Content and distribution partnerships
The channels are distributed on Sport1's own app
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Zero in on one that says yes (and no)
Andy Marken May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Hero image courtesy of Deposit Photos
For content creators the most difficu...
29/05/2026
With InfoComm 2026 just weeks away, NDI is giving attendees plenty of reasons to...
29/05/2026
Reaffirming a partnership that has defined Canadian sports broadcasting since 19...
29/05/2026
Mobile/tablet is No. 2 device for watching TV, suggesting that the sports-production industry needs to take another look at the format
Ring Digital's Sprin...
29/05/2026
Berliner Ensemble, one of Berlin's five major theater companies, has expande...
29/05/2026
Solid State Logic will showcase its new compact, fly-away TCA Tour audio product...
29/05/2026
Gerald (Jerry) Pierce, a pioneering technologist who helped shape the digital transformation of the motion picture industry, passed away last month on April 12 ...
29/05/2026
Paramount+ will be the English-language U.S. home for Barclays Women's Super...
29/05/2026
Further strengthening its virtualisation strategy to fully support broadcasters ...
29/05/2026
Swiss broadcaster Canal Alpha has deployed Harmonic's award-winning, software-based XOS Advanced Media Processor to modernize playout operations across cant...
29/05/2026
PTZOptics will showcase a new generation of intelligent video workflows at InfoComm 2026, June 17-19, Las Vegas. Visitors to booth N8227 will see how PTZOptics ...
29/05/2026
Arizona's Family has launched the Arizona's Family Sports (AZFS) streaming app, a new direct-to-consumer destination for live, local sports. The app is ...
29/05/2026
Starting in 2027, DAZN will be the exclusive home of The Canadian Football Leagu...
29/05/2026
Comcast Business has detailed the advanced network infrastructure it has deploye...
29/05/2026
In two-day event, leaders from academia and industry explored solutions to chall...
29/05/2026
The Basketball Tournament (TBT), now entering their 13th year of competition, ha...
29/05/2026
Roku has launched FOX One as a Premium Subscription on The Roku Channel in the U.S. Roku customers can now subscribe to FOX One using their Roku account for liv...
29/05/2026
In its sixth year, the broadcaster's coverage has become a global brand and ...
29/05/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent ratings news and is derived from press re...
29/05/2026
The days are getting longer, the temperatures are rising, and playlists are filling up for the season. With summer around the corner, Spotify's global edito...
29/05/2026
New retro-inspired MPC announced
There are few devices that have gained the status held by Akai Pro's MPC range, and in recent years, the company have s...
29/05/2026
Save up to 30 on acclaimed titles
Following a successful launch at Superbooth 2026, Bjooks have revealed that they will be continuing the Kickstarter campa...
29/05/2026
Binaural monitoring application improved
Genelec have just released an update that brings some powerful new features to their HRTF-based binaural headphone ...
29/05/2026
6 June 2026 at SAE Institute, London, UK
IMSTA FESTA 2026 is almost upon us, with some of the biggest names in pro-audio set to descend upon SAE Institute i...
29/05/2026
Gerald (Jerry) Pierce, a pioneering technologist who helped shape the digital transformation of the motion picture industry, died April 12, 2026, at his home in...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Comparing 5 AI Video Enhancers for Restoring Old Video Quality
Kate Luvis May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Digitizing VHS, MiniDV, and other legacy formats doe...
29/05/2026
Studio Hamburg Builds New Post Pipeline with DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Workflow replaces a patchwork of legacy tools...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
At the Intersection of Music and Dance, an Epic Collaboration Boston Conservatory musicians and dancers found creative parallels in their recent performance o...
29/05/2026
GLOOKAST LAUNCHES CINNAFILM TACHYON PLUGIN FOR MEDIA PRODUCER AND MEDIA SERVICES
This release first appeared here.
Visit our Tachyon product page or contact...
29/05/2026
May 29 2026, 09:00 (PDT) Dolby and rednote Bring More Immersive Storytelling to...
29/05/2026
Something fundamental has shifted in how people consume media. Audiences aren't abandoning television or radio content; they're just expanding how, wher...
29/05/2026
Youtube exclusive special drops today
Watch now
UKTV today announces another e...
29/05/2026
Back to All News
The Official Trailer of Physical 100 Italy, on Netflix From Se...
29/05/2026
Genelec announces V2.1 for Aural ID binaural headphone monitoring application posted: 29/05/2026
Aural ID 2.1 enhances binaural monitoring for stereo and ...
Trailblazer: Behind the scenes of Europe's first esports channels eSports1 and eSportsOne By Heather McLean, Editor 
