eSports

ESL and DreamHack Enter Three-Year Media Rights Deal With Omelete and Globo

Published

6 years ago

August 7, 2020

Reading Time: 3 minutes

ESL, the world’s largest esports company, and DreamHack, the premier gaming lifestyle festival, announced a three-year media deal with Brazil’s top media outlets Globo and Omelete. In cooperation with professional Brazilian streamer Gaules, who recently joined Omelete, the partnership aims to bring Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) in Portuguese to the passionate Brazilian CS:GO community. As part of the deal, all tournaments within ESL Pro Tour for CS:GO, including the ESL Pro League, ESL One, Intel® Extreme Masters, DreamHack Masters & DreamHack Open, will be broadcast in Portuguese language via respective distribution channels of Globo and Omelete.

Beginning in Q1 of 2020 and over the course of the next three years, all ESL Pro Tour tournaments for CS:GO will be brought to the Brazilian community via linear and digital channels of Globo and Omelete. The top ESL and DreamHack CS:GO tournaments will be broadcast in Portuguese by SporTV3, Globo’s principal multi-sport channel on Brazilian linear television, whereas Omelete acquired the rights to distribute all matches online. Contracted by Omelete, Gaules will serve the audience digitally by promoting and broadcasting the competitions, including all qualifiers through live streaming via his Twitch channel as well as through Gaules TV, a show that will feature Brazilian CS:GO talent.

“We are delighted to work together in Brazil with Globo, a leading mass media company, and Omelete, a representative entertainment company. By partnering up with both companies, the Brazilian fans can now enjoy a premium viewing experience via various channels,” said Frank Uddo, Senior Vice President Global Media at ESL. “With Globo serving the linear TV audience and Omelete delivering our content to digital platforms supported by the top local streamer, the partnership allows more fans than ever in Brazil to enjoy professional esports however they choose.”

“All of us at DreamHack are pleased to bring our great content to South America through this new partnership with Globo and Omelete,” said DreamHack Co-CEO Roger Lodewick. “With their impressive reach, we will now be able to connect with even more esports enthusiasts in South America. Gaming brings communities together — and there couldn’t be a better time to bring fans the excitement of esports.”

As part of the partnership, Globo and Omelete as main media partners of ESL and DreamHack in Brazil, further acquired the rights to execute additional marketing initiatives via social media as well as the right to organize fan fests in order to provide local fans with the opportunity to watch selected tournaments remotely collectively.

“One of Brazil’s biggest entertainment companies, Omelete, which was born on the internet and now enables amazing experiences for millions of people, has now striken a partnership with one of the world’s greatest media outlets, Globo, and a world-class streamer, Gaules, in order to establish what has currently been considered one of the world’s boldest esports coverage strategies”, said Pierre Mantovani, Omelete Company’s CEO.

Globo as one of the top Brazilian media outlets covers 98.6% of the municipalities in Brazil, reaching 99.6% of the country’s population via their linear TV channels. Globo reaches 85% of the Brazilian population that has access to the internet making their sub-entities G1, Gshow and globoesporte.com leaders in market share of their respective categories. By reaching more than 100 million people daily across its linear and digital services, Globo has become truly a global player for content from and for Brazil.

“Since 2017, Globo has been investing in the world of games and electronic sports that go far beyond the media. Important esports championships worldwide are as great as any other sports event, not only when it comes to star players, teams, and fans, but also the show that’s put on, the feeling of joy, the matches, the championships. ESL and DreamHack represent the greatest avatar of it all. The partnership between Globo, Omelete, and Gaules enables us to bring the best kind of CS:GO-related content to all Brazilian fans, from the hardcore players to the casual ones, who will be able to get to know Brazilian athletes who are doing their best during these competitions”, said Leandro Valentim, Head of Games and esports at Globo.

“A partnership with ESL and DreamHack is great, since it allows us to expand the kind of content we offer to the gaming community. I’m really glad we can offer esports enthusiasts the opportunity to choose how to watch streaming sessions! Especially because we will feature a talented team of casters to make it possible. Let’s root together and have fun as fans” said Gaules.

eSports

Esports Awards adds player-voted EWC Players’ Choice Award, extends Esports Foundation deal

Published

3 days ago

June 19, 2026

Wladimir P.

esports-awards-adds-player-voted-ewc-players’-choice-award,-extends-esports-foundation-deal

The Esports Awards and the Esports Foundation (EF) on June 18, 2026, announced a three-year extension of their partnership through 2028 and introduced a new player-voted honor, the EWC Players’ Choice Award. The announcement was made in London, with voting tied to Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 in Paris.

The EWC Players’ Choice Award will be decided exclusively by professional esports players. According to the announcement, competitors attending EWC 2026 will vote in person, while a secure digital voting platform hosted by the Esports Awards will allow participation from additional eligible players and clubs.

Eligibility requires players to have competed in at least one qualifying S, A or B-Tier tournament during the official competitive season. Players will not be able to vote for themselves or teammates, with the Esports Awards overseeing the process.

“The talent and innovation of our sector should be getting the exposure it deserves.,” said Michael Ashford, CEO of the Esports Awards. “The Esports Foundation has done an incredible job in generating mainstream attention, and industry exposure outside of the standard circuit. Our partnership has enabled us to expand our operations and footprint and it’s through our continued collaboration that I hope we can bring the Esports Awards to the global community, and provide the industry with better visibility all year round.”

The Esports Awards also confirmed its 2026 ceremony will take place in the United States, starting what it described as a rotating host city model featuring “previously unvisited destinations.” The event previously staged its 2024 awards ceremony and the 2025 Decade Awards in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia as part of the Esports World Cup program.

EWC 2026 is scheduled for Paris from July 06 through August 23, 2026, with more than 2,000 players and 200 Clubs from over 100 countries set to compete in 25 tournaments across 24 games. Voting for the EWC Players’ Choice Award will run from July 1 through August 18, 2026, with the winner to be revealed during the Esports Awards ceremony later this year. The Esports Awards said additional details about its 2026 event will be announced in the coming weeks.

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chess

ENC 2026 chess qualifiers wrap as 82 nations and territories make the field

Published

3 days ago

June 18, 2026

Wladimir P.

enc-2026-chess-qualifiers-wrap-as-82-nations-and-territories-make-the-field

The Esports Foundation (EF) has completed the online regional qualifiers for the Chess tournament at the Esports Nations Cup 2026 (ENC), scheduled to debut in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from November 2-29, 2026.

EF said the 128-player chess field is now largely set. 64 players from 64 countries and territories received direct invitations via official Champions Chess Tour (CCT) rankings at the end of May, while 61 players qualified through online regional events operated by Chess.com across North America, South America, Africa, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Middle East/India/Central Asia, and East Asia/Southeast Asia/Oceania.

A further slot was awarded to Amani Alazmi (Kuwait) via the Host Region Wildcard as the next highest-placing competitor from the host region. Two Wildcard Solidarity slots for underrepresented regions remain and will be announced at the end of August after all ENC qualifiers are completed. With qualifiers concluded, EF said at least 82 countries and territories will be represented in chess at ENC 2026.

EF highlighted that Jamaica, Paraguay, Singapore, South Africa, Tajikistan, Tunisia, and Turkmenistan each secured two qualifying slots despite not receiving a direct invitation. Honduras, Mexico, El Salvador, Venezuela, Morocco, Nigeria, Algeria, Jordan, Australia, and New Zealand secured one slot each.

The chess competition runs November 2-8. EF said the event will open with a round-robin group stage featuring 16 groups of eight players, before moving to a 64-player single-elimination playoff bracket. The full list of qualified players and nations is available on the ENC website’s chess page.

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1xBet

HLTV Awards returns to Belgrade on January 9, 2027, adding Lifetime Achievement honor

Published

4 days ago

June 17, 2026

Wladimir P.

hltv-awards-returns-to-belgrade-on-january-9,-2027,-adding-lifetime-achievement-honor

HLTV will stage the HLTV Awards presented by 1xBet in Belgrade, Serbia on January 9, 2027, returning to the Sava Center. The company said more than 1,000 players, industry professionals, creators, and fans are expected to attend.

HLTV also confirmed Dust2 creator David Johnston will feature as an award announcer. HLTV linked the booking to the 25th anniversary of Dust2.

For 2026, HLTV is updating its Hall of Fame process and eligibility rules. Four players will be inducted again, with “at least two and up to three” slots reserved for players from the Counter-Strike 1.6 and early eras. HLTV also removed the former “neo rule,” allowing players to be inducted for their playing careers even if they remain active in other roles such as coaching.

HLTV is adding a Lifetime Achievement Award, which will be decided by the Hall of Fame Board. The ceremony will also move Community Awards onto the main stage show for the first time, rather than the pre-show segment.

Separately, HLTV will kick off the 2027 Awards season with an invite-only “HLTV Awards by 1xBet Launch Party x GRID” in Cologne during the Major. HLTV said industry members can apply for an invite to the ceremony via its awards page.

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