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The CW will air the Machinima-produced Mortal Kombat X esports series Chasing the Cup next month, according to Variety. This will mark the first time the popular YouTube content creator will have its programming featured on television.
The six-episode series will premiere on The CW's own streaming platform, CW Seed, beginning today. Episodes will release week-by-week, following Mortal Kombat players on their journey to esports victory.
The network itself will show the finale on Feb. 15 at 8 p.m. ET. The hourlong primetime special will focus on the finals of the ESL Mortal Kombat X Pro League tournament, in which contestants compete for up to $100,000 in winnings.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, which owns The CW, also serves as publisher for the Mortal Kombat series, although the company explained that that had no bearing on the partnership.
Rick Haskins, the network's executive vice president of marketing and digital programs, expressed interest in pursuing esports further for the channel. "We're testing to see if this could be ‘sports for CW,'" he told Variety regarding the new deal with Machinima.
Previous seasons of Chasing the Cup focused on League of Legends and aired exclusively on Machinima's own YouTube and Twitch channels. This season focuses on this year's Mortal Kombat X championship, which concluded Jan. 24.
As for Mortal Kombat X, developer NetherRealms Studio recently announced an expanded re-release of the 2015 game. Mortal Kombat XL will arrive on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on March 1. A PC release has not been confirmed.
The platform was also left out of the announced upcoming beta for an improved version of the game's netcode, which will reduce lag during online multiplayer.
