An interview with ELEAGUE GM Christina Alejandre ahead of this weekend’s championship
In 2015, Turner and WME/IMG joined together to great an eSports league, ELEAGUE, centering around Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Turner’s involvement, along with hosting games at its facility in Atlanta, included a commitment to air live matches each Friday – a major step forward in catapulting eSports into the mainstream.
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Twitch has also hosted the broadcasts, and yesterday it was announced that Twitter will be livestreaming this weekend’s semifinals and finals. TBS has been enjoying a nice ratings bump throughout the summer from a demo coveted by advertisers, and eSports fans will surely be tuning in across TBS, Twitch, and Twitter to watch the culmination of Season 1.
With eSports on the minds of executives across the media landscape and this weekend’s events generating buzz, we spoke with Christina Alejandre, GM of ELEAGUE:
Found Remote: You have a diverse professional background. How did you first become interested in eSports?
Alejandre: While at Warner Brothers, we were developing a game that lent itself to eSports – it was a MOBA and had a lot of competitive aspects to it. I was tasked with exploring and leading eSports and publishing for the title. As I researched and immersed myself in the eSports scene, I quickly became hooked.
FR: What was the 'a-ha' moment for you when you realized that eSports was ready for primetime?
Alejandre: The first live event I attended gave me that moment. I was at an event for a game that I didn’t follow or understand with thousands of engaged fans. The vibe in the room was electric. I found myself cheering for plays even though I didn’t fully understand what I was going on and getting caught up in the moment. It made me want to learn more about the game and go full-in on eSports. It also showed me what a spectator sport eSports actually was.
FR: How will you and your team go about promoting ELEAGUE to skeptical viewers?
Alejandre: Our first responsibility is to the hardcore fan and retaining the authenticity of the competitive game play. That said, we are also making sure we explain the game and the strategy — especially for our TBS audience — for the viewer that may be watching for the first time. We think there are a lot more eSports fans out there, they just may not know it yet.
FR: We're a few weeks into the first season of ELEAGUE on TBS. What has stood out to so far?
Alejandre: As we enter our championship weekend, we’re thrilled with the response we’ve received from the community over the last nine weeks. The engagement with our content across all platforms has been incredible. And the enthusiasm of the fans is embodied by everyone that touches this property at ELEAGUE, the many working behind the scenes to make our first season such a s success. We’re all very excited, not only for the events this weekend, but also our continued pursuit to grow our eSports offerings in the near future.
FR: It is clear that Turner's and ELEAGUE's ambitions extend beyond TV, so what else in store?
Alejandre: We understand this is a digital-first property and that’s been our approach to programming our coverage, with more hours on that platform than any other. TV is a broader extension and opportunity to provide a compelling experience for traditional eSports fans and further expose the sport to new fans. We recently announced the Overwatch Open, coming this September, and we’ll have a second season of ELEAGUE featuring CS:GO later this Fall. This is just the beginning for us and we’re looking to grow with the community. What’s best for eSports is best for us.