British television channel BBC Three has announced that it will be livestreaming coverage of the upcoming League of Legends world championships, which are scheduled to run for four days starting on October 15.

The programming will be hosted by Radio 1 DJ Dev Griffin, whom BBC calls an “avid gamer,” and on-the-floor interviews with players and fans will be conducted by Julia Hardy. BBC will also have eSports commentators Leigh ‘Deman’ Smith and James ‘Stress’ O’Leary for expert commentary.

“We jumped at the chance to collaborate with BBC Sport and bring this massive UK event to a wider audience,” Damian Kavanagh, Controller of BBC Three, said in an announcement by BBC. “BBC Three will always experiment with new ways to deliver content that young people want, in ways they want. I think this is an exciting way to cover something millions of young Brits love, in a BBC Three way.”

“I’m delighted to be part of the BBC’s coverage at Wembley Arena,” added game commentator Leigh ‘Deman’ Smith. “Worlds has been amazing so far and it’s great to see the BBC getting involved and raising awareness of esports in the UK.”

Unlike BBC One, which is more akin to one of the large American network channels, or BBC Two, which focuses on more “highbrow” content such as documentaries or edgier dramas, BBC Three targets a younger demographic in the roughly 16 to 34 year old range.

BBC Three currently still airs on television, but a large portion of its content is shown online, and the channel itself is expected to make the move to online-only content next year.

While livestreaming coverage is nothing new to eSports, increased interaction with traditional media outlets is one of the key growth factors for eSports that research firm Newzoo BV outlined in a recent report about the future of the industry.

“Many brands are still reluctant to associate themselves with esports, as prejudices against competitive gaming still abound,” Newzoo said at the time. “These prejudices are often related to the esports audience demographic and the definition of ‘quality content.’ ”

Although BBC Three may be aimed at younger viewers, its adoption of eSports definitely seems to be a step forward for the industry.

Photo by ChrisYunker