Activision Blizzard esports are now exclusive to YouTube Gaming

gabhernandez Published 24/01/2020

Activision Blizzard and Google have announced a new partnership today that will see all Overwatch, Call of Duty, and Hearthstone esports broadcasts streamed exclusively through YouTube Gaming. 

The partnership extends even further than traditional broadcast rights. Google Cloud will be the “preferred partner” for hosting Blizzard games. Google also plans to better the experience for fans and players with infrastructure improvements made to its servers hosting these games. 

Last year, Twitch held the exclusive rights for these broadcasts, which allowed their esports leagues to be broadcast on channels like ESPN and ABC. Those rights have expired and YouTube Gaming will now be the home for all Blizzard esports.

“With more than 200 million gamers a day watching more than 50 billion hours of gaming content per year, YouTube provides gamers and their passionate fans with the most popular video gaming platform in the world.” Youtube Gaming executive Ryan Wyatt said. “I couldn’t be more excited for Activision Blizzard to choose YouTube as its exclusive home for the digital live streaming of both leagues. This partnership further demonstrates our dedication to having a world class live streaming product for gaming.”

Fans fear ramifications of Blizzard and YouTube partnership, YouTube Premium

While Blizzard and YouTube are outwardly pleased with the transaction, the overwhelming majority of fans are not. There are many concerns about whether fans will be forced to pay for YouTube Premium to enjoy an ad-free experience on the platform, which would be on top of an additional fee if Blizzard chooses to maintain its all-access pass like the Overwatch League had last year. 

YouTube Premium is a paid service that provides ad-free streaming of all videos and live streams on the platform. It also grants access to YouTube’s original content, audio-only versions of music videos, and offline and background playback on mobile devices. The cost is $11.99 USD per month for the service, which comes to $144 per year. This is more than the annual price of Amazon Prime at $119 per year, which brings with it many more features and perks.

No details about whether YouTube Premium will be the only way to view the matches ad-free have yet been released.

Read Also

Kick

Here’s a Rundown of the Major New Features and Improvements on Kick in August 2026 Khizar Mundia Kick Director Ethan Wright has shared several new features that were introduced on the platform in August, also revealing that the team will continue to “push out great updates after great updates”. Livestreaming platform Kick is serious about introducing new features and making changes to improve the experience for both streamers and viewers. The Kick GO Live mobile app may be the standout addition the livestreaming platform has made in ...

Twitch

xQc Talks Subathons and Reveals Why He Avoids Them Khizar Mundia Félix “xQc” Lengyel is a major force in the streaming world, with his earnings being among the highest in the industry. However, despite this success, xQc has never done subathons — and the Kick streamer has revealed his reasons. Subathons have become an important element in the streaming world, as they are both engaging for viewers and beneficial for creators. Kai Cenat is arguably the most famous streamer who made ...

News

Here Is Every Major Announcement at Sony’s September State of Play Zachary Roberts The latest Sony State of Play was on September 3 at 9 am ET, and as usual, plenty of interesting games were announced and shown off. These, like a Nintendo Direct or Xbox Showcase, always end up being one of the most exciting times of the year for gamers. PlayStation often has great exclusives, so it's always worth seeing what they're working on. Interestingly enough, the first showcase wasn't game-related. ...

Kick

Kick Joins GTA RP Trend — Here’s What Partnership With Prodigy Entails Khizar Mundia The GTA RP community has been consistently growing, and Kick has just partnered with Prodigy, which displays the livestreaming platform’s interest in the scene. Here’s information about the partnership and why Kick may have entered the GTA RP scene right now. Kick has been trying to expand its esports base for some time, and its recent partnership with Riot Games has created ample opportunity for the platform. However, gaming remains ...

Slots

True Labs Set To Change Direction With New CEO Ben Boland True Labs started life as an experimental crypto casino in 2018 within the True Flip Group and has since evolved into an independent entity, boasting more than 40 crypto casino games and a network of supporting partners. Its evolution is set to continue with the appointment of a new CEO on September 1, 2026, with Sergey Glamazda confirmed as the Malta-based company’s new chief executive. Before joining True Labs, Glamazda ...

GTA

Rockstar Backs NoPixel V — What GTA 6 Means for GTA RP Khizar Mundia GTA 6 is about to release, and Rockstar has decided that it is the optimal time to announce that its collaborative GTA RP, NoPixel V, is about to enter closed beta. Roleplaying has been a major element in GTA, with several gaming streamers building their entire brand and community around it. NoPixel Studios is one of the most famous names in GTA RP, and NoPixel V is the newest version, ...

News

Kevin Hart Set To Host Major Pragmatic Play Live Casino Event Ben Boland Kevin Hart is joining forces with Pragmatic Play to host a live casino event that looks set to pack a serious punch. Hart is famed for starring in blockbusters such as Jumanji and Ride Along, and also as a stand-up comedian who has delivered his uniquely comic observations to audiences around the world. He will now act live dealer host for a packed two-day event in November. Pragmatic Play is ...