A deal between Activision Blizzard and Google for Esports media rights totaled to $160 million, according to a report by The Esports Observer.
The agreement allows YouTube to provide coverage of several events, including the Overwatch League and Call of Duty League.
Multiple sources also told the Observer most funds are put towards broadcasting Overwatch, while Hearthstone was added without additional cost.
Much of the $160 million is reportedly spread out across three years for live digital programming.
Teams involved in league tournaments were described as “happy with the new YouTube deal,” as it includes “significant incentive clauses” to boost advertising and amount of viewers streaming online.
The reported sum also follows a partnership announcement late-January, giving Google exclusive distribution for the ongoing Overwatch League. Its Google Cloud tools would also be used by Activision Blizzard for their remote computing services.
In previous years, Twitch became a main source for streaming the Overwatch League and other Esports events before their tournaments branched out to different platforms..
Sources also claimed Activision Blizzard and Google’s previous deal was around $90 million for Overwatch League‘s media rights alone for two years.
Overwatch League’s third annual season started on February 8 and is made for exclusive viewing over YouTube Gaming.
