Building a Successful Sports League Means a Lot of Partners, Activision Esports CEO Says

The transcript discusses the Overwatch League's city-based model, which aims to integrate traditional sports expertise into esports. It highlights the unique challenges faced by esports leagues, such as engaging a global, digital-native audience. The Overwatch League has learned valuable lessons about fan engagement and city-based models. Plans for a Call of Duty Franchise League are also discussed, focusing on leveraging existing ecosystems to attract casual fans.

What is the primary goal of the Overwatch League starting in 2020?

• To focus solely on online tournaments

• To increase the number of teams to 50

• To merge with the NBA

• To host matches in home cities like traditional sports leagues

What is a key component of building a successful esports league according to the transcript?

• Focusing only on player skills

• Collaborating with various stakeholders like sponsors and media partners

• Reducing the number of teams

• Eliminating traditional sports practices

What is one advantage that esports leagues have over traditional sports?

• They focus only on local audiences

• They have fewer players

• They are young, global, and digital-native

• They are older and more established

What challenge do esports leagues face that traditional sports executives may not have encountered?

• Engaging a 50-year-old audience

• Presenting broadcasts in multiple languages simultaneously

• Focusing on offline events only

• Reducing digital content

What is the Overwatch League's big bet regarding its city-based model?

• That it will not require any marketing efforts

• That it will only work in the United States

• That it can unlock fans by rooting teams in specific geographies

• That it will fail to attract fans

What is a surprising outcome of the Overwatch League's city-based model so far?

• Large groups of fans are organizing viewing parties despite not being in home markets

• The league has decided to abandon the city-based model

• Fans are not interested in city-based teams

• Teams are struggling to find sponsors

How will the Call of Duty Franchise League differ from the Overwatch League?

• It will start from scratch with no existing players or fans

• It will not focus on city-based teams

• It will not have any existing ecosystem

• It will work within an existing ecosystem of players, fans, and sponsors