BBC Sport to Show Rocket League European Spring Series
The Spring Series of the European Rocket League will be broadcast online from the BBC Sport website, the app and BBC iPlayer.
BBC Sport will broadcast the finals of the Spring Series on (Saturday May 9th and Sunday May 10th). The event will also be displayed live on Sky in the UK, on GINX Esports TV.
Ben Gallop, BBC Sport head of digital had this to say: “Rocket League is one of the most exciting esports in the gaming world and to have the European Spring Series live on the BBC’s digital platforms is something we’re really pleased to be able to offer, especially for our younger audiences.”
With the current global pandemic due to COVDI-19, the BBC is not the first major channel to broadcast esport events in the wake of the cancellation of traditional sports. While the BBC does not regularly broadcast esports, this is far from their first industry foray. Back in 2015 BBC Three & online hosted the quarter-finals of the League of Legends World Championship which was being played in London. They also broadcast the Elite Series on Gfinity.
Over the last few years, the Rocket League has slowly made its way to the top tier of sports. With a dedicated fanbase, a solid sports foundation, and one of the easiest rulesets to understand in sports, the Rocket League has truly put esport into sports.
As for the BBC, the Rocket League is the perfect alternative to the UK’s most popular football (soccer) sport, which is currently on hold due to COVID-19. With the right hosts, and some simple explanations, non-traditional UK-based sports fans could be in for a real treat with the Rocket League, and the game could have found a huge boost in viewership ahead.
“BBC Sport is constantly evolving and such a time gives us the opportunity to do even more with Esports and look forward to see what’s possible in the future.”
The two-day European Spring Series Rocket League will be played May 9–10 and features a prize pool of $125,000. Full roster of participating teams is:
- Dignitas
- Renault Vitality
- mousesports
- FC Barcelona
- The Clappers
- Endpoint
- Canyons
- Team BDS
