Fans have spent 160 million hours watching leading Overwatch players compete.
The league is already profitable, filling a stadium during championships in July that saw matches broadcast on Disney and its ESPN channels in the US, according to Activision eSports league chief Pete Vlastelica. New teams in Chengdu, Hangzhou, Paris, Toronto, Vancouver, and Washington DC for the 2019 season bring the total number in the Overwatch League to 20.
"Having been in the traditional sport space, it certainly catches your eye when anything is as explosive, fast-moving, and exciting as this," said Drew McCourt, whose company DM Esports owns the rights to the Paris team. "It has massive potential. There is huge latent demand for this in a turbo-charged demographic that feels this in an incredibly emotional way."
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