Electronic Arts (EA) and the National Football League (NFL) announced that they are joining forces with ESPN and Disney XD for exclusive broadcasts of the upcoming EA Sports Madden NFL 18 Championship series. The partnership starts the final rounds of the EA Sports Madden NFL 18 Club Championship as well as the new EA Sports Madden NFL Ultimate League. This marks ESPN’s first long term, multi-event competitive gaming agreement.
The Madden Club Championship is a way for players to compete in Madden NFL 18. Players represent their favourite clubs and they take them all the way to the finals in order to win big. There are 32 clubs in total that participate.
Disney XD is a television channel that broadcasts shows meant for children six to 11 years of age. It broadcasts shows like Gravity Falls, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Star Wars Rebels and many others.
Madden NFL Ultimate League is the first ever competitive gaming sports league of its kind. The tournament features a one-on-one competition between 16 of the best Madden NFL 18 players and will start on February 2 and will run for two and a half months.
“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.”
The Madden NFL 18 Club Championship tournament begins at Pro Bowl on January 26. Fans can watch ESPNEWS on January 27 to catch the quarterfinal game. The next broadcasted game will allow viewers to follow their favourite players at the Club Championship Final on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes live form the Super Bowl Experience in Minneapolis, on February 1.
For the players who want to watch the championships while they play their version of Madden NFL 18, EA will be releasing an add-on that will allow players to stream the competition while they play the game. On top of this, EA Sports will be releasing a limited-edition paid bundle of exclusive Madden Ultimate team content that includes pack tailored specifically for the Madden Competitive Gaming fans during the 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.
