As the World Cup moves from Mexico City to New York to Atlanta and finally to San Francisco, North American fans have the opportunity to attend in person for the first time since 2016. Farm Arena and Chase Center, where millions of fans around the world watch games online.
“We’re looking at a global broadcast model similar to the Olympics or the World Cup,” said Sam Chaimson, global broadcast production manager. “Whether you are an English-language channel covering the event in-house, a French-language channel through a third-party partner in Paris, or filming in China, Brazil or South Korea, we want to make sure that all fans around the world can enjoy it. This is the best experience in the world.”
In total, the global events team works with 22 broadcast partners who produce programs in 21 languages.
“We created this package that included everything that happened on set, as well as graphics, music and videos from global brands,” continues Sam. “That’s how we got to the point where 70 million people around the world tuned in to watch the final. No matter how big or small your production footprint is, you can give your fans in your region and in their language the global experience they deserve .”
During the 2021 Global Finals, during the final between South Korea’s DWG KIA and China’s Edward Gaming, viewership peaked at 73.8 million concurrent viewers. The finale averaged just over 30 million viewers per minute, the metric Nielsen uses to calculate television ratings. Both figures represent new records for the World Championships and eSports in general.
While this number represents a general number, broadcasts vary slightly from region to region. As language changes, storytellers and the stories they tell change. When the World Cup reaches the final, there will only be two teams left to discuss. But in the early stages, when the competition included 24 teams from 11 different regional leagues, local broadcasters tailored content to their viewers’ preferences.
“Our live production starts a few days before the live event,” says live production manager Eamonn Frasher. “We have story sessions where we go game by game and talk about the biggest stories in the game, the best matches and the players we want to focus on. So for North America, Europe and Oceania Live (NEO) we’re focusing on more focus on the regions and stories that resonate with the majority of English-speaking audiences.”
However, this does not mean that English-language stories will be given priority in the broadcast.
“For example, going into the tournament, we knew that Diego “Blans” Amaral from LOUD was a rising star,” Eamon continued. “We saw his personality in the play-in line and the championship line, so we spent more time on his story. Like RNG, we knew their story of becoming MSI champions and having to fight during the play-in, but we also knew that they could go very far and that it would resonate with the audience.”
As Worlds continues, stories emerge and change. Each evening after the live broadcast, the team of esports producers will conduct a recap to cover what happened and a few stories that will happen the next day.
“We’re looking at a global streaming model in English,” said live producer John Depa. “The broadcast ended after midnight in New York and then we had a post-broadcast meeting, which was also attended by some LEC staff. The team in Berlin then spent a working day writing the show’s script and starting to create graphics for the next day’s broadcast. When we wake up in the morning, everything for the day is already ready.”
For an event like the World Cup, only limited planning can be done, so teams have to mix pre-planned stories with what’s happening in real time in the Rift.
“Sometimes we release a game like GAM Esports that upsets TOP Esports and we think, ‘Okay, that’s enough, let’s just talk about this game,’” Eamon said. “As the game progresses, the producers talk to the talent to make these decisions. We need to balance between talking about the last game and previewing the next one.”
Around the world, different teams make their own decisions about what they want to highlight in their broadcasts. Viewers in China will be able to see previews of upcoming LPL team games, while viewers in North America will see post-match interviews with Vulcan and others.
When the World Championship is held in Europe or North America, the main broadcast is provided by a partnership between the LEC in Europe and the LCS in North America. Viewers witnessed this firsthand in the broadcast booth and in post-game interviews, but it also happened behind the scenes as LEC and LCS producers produced these global live broadcasts at the World Championships, Los Angeles and Berlin.
The broadcast naturally begins in the players’ arena. From there, the stream is sent directly to Los Angeles via Riot Direct, the same server infrastructure we use for the game, where the world stream is then managed. At this point, it is sent out to regional teams in Brazil, China, South Korea, Turkey and all other regions that have their own unique World Cup broadcasts, each broadcast in their own language and telling stories that resonate with specific audiences.
“I think it’s this model of switching between global broadcasts and our regional broadcasts that makes the World Cup unique,” John said. “All of these channels are simultaneously broadcasting the same gameplay, so when the game happens, they experience it together. After the game, local commentators focus on local stories and make sure as many people as possible get what they care about. Best world experience.”
As Riot grows, so does global investment in esports infrastructure. New Stryker facilities, like the one in Dublin, will help us continue to improve our transition structure and tap into the talent from around the world telling the story of League of Legends esports.
“As a producer, I make sure we’re working toward the goal,” Sam said. “But at the end of the day, our shows are put on by masters of their craft, and they get results. Graphics producers, playback producers, technical directors, sound engineers – they are the ones who create real value for the fans. These are observers. Revealing the key points in the game and conducting the tournament is what ensures the smooth running of the entire event. My role is to guide everyone’s work to achieve the goal, but I am honored to work alongside their experts to make the magic happen. “
If this sounds interesting and you’d like to join Riot’s esports team, we’re hiring! There are currently 40 positions open in the esports industry, located in Los Angeles, Seattle, Singapore, Berlin, Seoul and Tokyo.
Post time: Sep-10-2023