Hulu is getting four new esports shows

Streaming service Hulu has ordered up four original esports programs from ESL. Head of production will be Barry Hennessey, Variety reports. The Emmy-award winning producer is a veteran of reality shows such as The Amazing Race and Born This Way.

According to ESL, the four programs will include the following:

• Player V. Player: A “gamified debate show” featuring both shoutcasters and influencers arguing with each other for points. The result, ESL said, would be “an urgent, passionate conversation amongst signature esports personalities, connecting communities while also pitting them against one another.” At the conclusion of the show, both sides will face off in “a final challenge over a classic video game.”
• Bootcamp: A weekly series that will follow The Immortals esports team on their way to a high-profile Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournament in Oakland, California. ESL said that the series will “give unprecedented access to the inner workings of a professional esports team, with scrimmages and practice sessions at the team house as they formulate a new strategy and build team chemistry.”
• Defining Moments: A kind of news magazine, ESL says it will cover “impactful moments in esports history [including] trick-shots and insane reflex skills, controversial moves and their impact on gaming history, or long-lasting rivalries and how they came to be.” Guests will include players, developers and sports scientists.
• ESL Replay: A documentary-style roundup of four major ESL tournaments, created within one week of the live event.

Variety says that the four programs will add around 15 hours total of esports programming to the streaming service, and represents Hulu’s first major investment in the space. The games featured will include, at a minimum, Dota 2, CS:GO and Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds.

Recently The Nielsen Company released a major market analysis detailing big opportunities for advertisers in the esports space. ESL linked to that study in their press release, but gave no word on whether any of the shows on Hulu will feature additional sponsored content.