ESPN2 To Broadcast the EA SPORTS Madden NFL 18 Club Championship
Final February 1st Live from Super Bowl LII
Disney XD To Air Weekly Broadcast of First U.S. League for
Competitive Sports Gaming Beginning in February
Watch the Madden NFL 18 Club Championship Trailer Here
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. & NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Today, Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA) and the National Football
League (NFL) announced they are teaming up with ESPN and Disney XD for
exclusive broadcasts of the upcoming EA SPORTS Madden NFL 18
Championship Series. This starts with the final rounds of the EA
SPORTS Madden NFL 18 Club Championship and the brand-new EA
SPORTS Madden NFL Ultimate League, marking ESPN's first-ever
long-term, multi-event competitive gaming agreement.
The Madden NFL Ultimate League is the first ever
competitive gaming sports league of its kind featuring one-on-one
competition between 16 of the best Madden NFL 18 players and will
run from Friday, February 2nd for two and a half months of
thrilling esports entertainment, culminating at the NFL Draft on April 28th.
Six players qualified by finishing in the top two at one of the three EA
Majors: the Madden NFL 18 Classic, Madden NFL 18 Challenge
and Madden NFL 18 Club Championship, with the remaining 10
selected as top series points earners.
"The Madden NFL Ultimate League is purposely designed to make
superstars of our best players, allowing viewers to develop player
loyalties and follow competitor rivalries," said Todd Sitrin, SVP and GM
of the Competitive Gaming Division at EA. "Through this collaboration
with ESPN and Disney XD, we'll provide ongoing coverage for fans
worldwide across a variety of ESPN and Disney platforms, but also
digitally through our own Madden streaming and social channels."
"We're thrilled to continue and expand our relationship with EA and the
NFL in not only showcasing to our audiences these world-class esports
competitions for multiple years, but also using the myriad ESPN and
Disney global platforms to tell the incredible stories of these
competitors," said John Lasker, VP of ESPN Digital Media Programming.
The Madden NFL 18 Club Championship tournament kicks off at Pro
Bowl on Friday, January 26th. Fans can tune-in to ESPNEWS
starting on Saturday, January 27th to catch the quarterfinal
action. The next broadcast will allow fans to follow the Club
Championship Final on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes live from the Super Bowl
Experience in Minneapolis, MN, on Thursday, February 1st.
The 32 NFL franchises will each be represented by one Madden competitor.
Throughout the NFL season, each player advanced through a grueling
online elimination process to reach the semifinal round, which
culminated in champions being crowned in local NFL team events across
the country and at EA's studio in Orlando, Florida.
"We are excited to partner with EA SPORTS and ESPN to bring the Madden
Club Championship and Madden Ultimate League to the millions of Madden
NFL fans globally and to broadcast these competitions from our key
fan events, like the Super Bowl and the Draft," said Chris Halpin, Chief
Strategy Officer of the NFL. "We are also thrilled to be the first major
professional sports league to have every team represented in a premier
esports event. We are confident our fans will love the competition and
action."
Between Super Bowl LII and the 2018 NFL Draft, Disney XD and the ESPN
App will become the weekly home to Madden NFL 18 competitive
gaming content, showcasing the latest action from the Madden NFL
Ultimate League each week. The Madden NFL Ultimate League
champion will be crowned at the Madden Bowl, live from the 2018 NFL
Draft on ESPN2.
Beginning in April, ESPN2 will also broadcast an Ultimate League
Episodic Series. The content will focus on character and storylines
through an exclusive entertainment style, following the best players in
the Ultimate League on Tuesdays at 9pm ET until May 1st.
Episodes will also be available on demand on the ESPN App.
For those players that own Madden NFL 18, they can also follow
the action in-game with an upcoming add-on experience soon to be
released within the game. EA SPORTS will also be releasing a
limited-edition paid bundle of exclusive Madden Ultimate Team
content and packs tailored specifically to Madden Competitive Gaming
fans during Madden NFL Ultimate League play. The bundle will be
available for a limited time in the Ultimate Team Store on Xbox One and
PlayStation 4.
The full TV programming details for both Madden NFL 18 Club
Championship and the Madden NFL Ultimate League are as follows:
-
Madden NFL 18 Club Championship Divisional Finals, Live from
the Pro Bowl
-
January 27: 10pm ET ESPNEWS
-
Orlando, FL (Pro Bowl)
-
Madden NFL 18 Club Championship Final, Live from Super Bowl LII
-
February 1: 9pm ET ESPN2/Deportes
-
Minneapolis, MN (Super Bowl LII)
-
12 one-hour episodes of the EA SPORTS Madden NFL 18 Ultimate
League Regular Season
-
Thursdays
-
Feb - April
-
Exclusive to Disney XD
-
Available on ESPN VOD
-
Half-hour episodes of an Ultimate League Series
-
Tuesdays at 9pm ET
-
Weekly from April 3 - May 1
-
Exclusive to ESPN2/ESPN VOD, Disney XD and Deportes
-
Madden NFL 18 Ultimate League Championship Final, Live from the
NFL Draft
-
April 28: 7pm ET ESPN2
-
Arlington, TX (NFL Draft)
Broadcasts will also be available in the UK and Ireland via BT Sport,
Canada via TSN and Australia, New Zealand, the Caribbean and Latin
America, including Brazil via ESPN International networks.
For more details on the entire Madden NFL Championship
Series, as well as details on the new Madden NFL Ultimate
League experience, and how to watch, please visit www.maddenchampionship.com.
About Electronic Arts:
Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: EA) is a global leader in digital interactive
entertainment. The Company develops and delivers games, content and
online services for Internet-connected consoles, mobile devices and
personal computers. EA has more than 300 million registered players
around the world.
In fiscal year 2017, EA posted GAAP net revenue
of $4.8 billion.
Headquartered in Redwood City, California, EA is recognized for a
portfolio of critically acclaimed, high-quality brands such as Madden
NFL, The Sims™, EA SPORTS™ FIFA, Battlefield™, Need for Speed™,
Dragon Age™ and Plants vs. Zombies™. More information about EA is
available at www.ea.com/news.
EA SPORTS, The Sims, Dragon Age, Plants vs. Zombies, Battlefield are
trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. and its subsidiaries. John Madden,
NFL, and FIFA are the property of their respective owners and used with
permission. Xbox and Xbox One are trademarks of the Microsoft group of
companies. "PlayStation" is a registered trademark of Sony Computer
Entertainment Inc.
About ESPN and esports:
ESPN has a long history of delivering live programming, coverage and
content to esports fans. In July 2017, the network delivered the Street
Fighter V World Championship and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U from Evo
2017, as well as hosted the X Games Rocket League Invitational from X
Games Minneapolis 2017. In February 2017, the network delivered the FIFA
Ultimate Team Championship Series across ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN3.
In 2016, ESPN2 aired the Capcom Cup 2016 Street Fighter V Final in
December, the Street Fighter V World Championship in July, and the
Madden NFL 16 Championship from EA Play in June. In addition, ESPN X
Games teamed up with Xbox to bring Halo 5: Guardians to X Games Aspen
2016, as part of the Halo World Championship Tour. Previously, ESPN3
carried live coverage of BlizzCon and The International Dota 2
Championships in 2014 and 2015, as well as the 2014 League of Legends
tournament. The network also previously delivered exclusive live
coverage of Heroes of the Dorm in 2015 and 2016, with the final airing
live on ESPN2, and the 2015 tournament being the first ever live,
televised coverage of a collegiate esports event for ESPN.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180126005441/en/
Electronic Arts Inc.
Jino Talens, 650-628-9111
Sr PR Manager
jtalens@ea.com
or
ESPN
Angela
Yang, 646-547-5631
Senior Publicist
Angela.Yang@espn.com
or
NFL
Alex
Riethmiller, 310-480-4681
VP of Communications
alex.riethmiller@nfl.com
Source: Electronic Arts Inc.
News Provided by Acquire Media