ESL FACEIT Group and TikTok court doomscrolling esports fans with vertical livestreams

Michael Hassall Published 21/05/2026

I can honestly say I’ve never willing wanted to watch a live broadcast of an esports event in a portrait (or vertical, as the nomenclature has decided is the ‘correct’ term) format, and I’m sure most esports fans haven’t either. But that’s not stopped tournament organizers ESL FACEIT Group (EFG) from partnering with TikTok to deliver vertical esports broadcasts to the small screens across the globe.

The partnership kicked off this past weekend at Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) Atlanta, and will reportedly continue on to ESL Pro Tour and IEM events in the future.

This was the first time an EFG tournament was broadcast live in a “in a fully optimised vertical format.” Sure, I’ve hunched over a phone while fumbling to make my phone flip its screen with the Twitch or YouTube app open to try to watch a game before, but this past weekend was the first time that vertical video was actually the desired outcome. Here’s the info:

IEM Atlanta debuts on the smallest screens as EFG partners with TikTok for vertical video

As much as trash it though, vertical video is the default way many users, especially younger (and newer) viewers watch content. As per EFG and TikTok, 56% of Gen Z use the platform daily, and millions of esports fans, myself included, engage with shorts, clips, and other content through short-form vertical video.

With this in mind, EFG’s broadcast of IEM Atlanta on TikTok was specially adapted for vertical formatting, including their own graphics and overlays. This provided a more accessible viewing experience for the short-form video natives, like Gen Z, who prefer the platform.

Steve Ford, senior vice president of advertising and distribution at ESL FACEIT Group explained the vision behind the streams:

“Partnering with TikTok marks an important step in how we evolve esports broadcasting. With the launch at IEM Atlanta last weekend, we introduced a purpose-built vertical viewing experience designed for mobile audiences, while continuing to expand how fans discover and engage with our tournaments.”

TikTok’s head of global operations for TikTok Gaming, Langer Lee, also celebrated the innovation:

“With the new TikTok for Gaming platform, we’re accelerating how the world’s best gaming content partners engage their audiences. ESL FACEIT Group embodies that vision – bringing live esports into a format our community genuinely loves, with the interactive engagement that unites content creators, players, and fans in one place.”

While this is certainly an innovation, we do hope this is more of an additional wrinkle, rather than a replacement or substitute for the main broadcast. Still, conversely, for content creators and clip farmers, the vertical native video is going to prove much easier for editing, lending the format to something transformative beyond just the main broadcast.

Featured Image Credit: ESL FACEIT Group.

Michael Hassall

About Michael Hassall

Michael is a eight-year veteran of the games writing space, but has being playing them for as long as he can remember. With bylines across the internet, he’s used his expertise to cover esports, prediction markets, mainstream gaming, streamers, and more besides.

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