eGG eSports & Gaming Network comes to Australia via Fletch TV

Australian eSports is set to gain a lot more recognition these days. Fetch TV has launched 24/7 coverage of eGG – Every Good Game – right here in Oz. The eSports and gaming network went live just in time to cover one of the industry’s hottest events; the Dota 2 Boston Major.

Akin to ESPN for athletic sports, Aussie’s will now be able to watch live coverage and updates in the eSports and gaming world, including multi-million dollar international tournaments. The Dota 2 Boston Majors that aired last weekend were especially popular, being the kick off event of the 2016-17 Dota Championship season.

Dota 2 Championships are sponsored by Valve (makers of Dota 2), and considered one of the most prestigious – and lucrative – team-based arena tournaments in the global realm of eSports. Adding interest for local viewers, among the 16 international teams competing in Boston, there were three Australian gamers in the mix, all vying for a slice of the $4 million prize pie.

The timing of eGG’s launch couldn’t have been any better, surely boosting support for Australian eSports fans. Anatham Pham, aka ‘Ana‘, an Aussie native, helped his team, “OG”, whittle its way through the competition to claim the 1^st place championship spot and US $1,000,000 prize.

OG has won this event three times now, but the recent of addition of Ana Pham to the team marks the first time in history an Australia eSports player has won any Valve-sponsored event.

Future Growth of Australian eSports

Danelie Purdue, an Australia commentator and co-host on eGG, said the eSports and gaming industry has grown immensely from its humble beginnings in China and South Korea. It’s popularity has expanded throughout South Asia and, more recently, into Australia.

“eSports in Australia doesn’t always get the attention it deserves,” Purdue told WA Today. “It has a lot of passionate followers but unfortunately it tends to fly under the radar even though there are plenty of tournaments in Australia.”

An amateur Australian eSports Dota 2 gamer herself, Purdue is able to identify with the local gaming community. “Sometimes it feels like Australian eSports fans have resigned themselves to the fact that it won’t go mainstream but I don’t think that’s true,” she explained. “It perhaps needs a bit of a kick-start and hopefully eGG coming to Australia can play a part in that.”

Purdue put her college education on 1-year hiatus in 2015 to move to Malaysia in hopes of landing a professional career as an Australian eSports caster. With just one week left before returning to Murdoch University in Perth, eGG offered her the position she’d been dreaming of.

What’s On eGG

Fletch TV’s new eGG network will provide coverage of major international eSports tournaments, including Call of Duty: Black Ops, Counter Strike: Global Offensive, Dota 2, League of Legends and StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void.

The network will also offer highlight packages from tournaments, and will focus heavily on eGaming initiatives, like game reviews, group discussions, convention coverage, etc. In essence, it’s broadcasts will be similar to a traditional sports networks, presenting 24/7 information about eSports and gaming.

The industry is no longer considered a minor, niche market for PC and video gaming teens. eSports viewership reached a collective total of 36 million during the live stream of the 2015 League of Legends World Championship. Streaming across Twitch, YouTube and Azubu, viewership peaked at 14 million active audience members during the final.