Streaming broadcast news site Cheddar has locked a deal with Twitch for a new eSports news show called “Cheddar Sports” and a live stream special at TwitchCon on October 27.
Starting Thursday, “Cheddar Sports” will deliver news, highlights stories from the world of eSports and gaming to viewers both on Twitch and across Cheddar’s syndication network. The show will also take advantage of Twitch’s interactive community engaging fans and viewers in on-air discussions.
“With a loyal fan base with a keen interest in eSports, we’ve already seen that Cheddar Sports is wildly popular on Twitch,” CEO Jon Steinberg told TheWrap.
Steinberg also said the show planned to focus more airtime on “the stars, competition highlights, and the latest on gear and technology.” Cheddar previously tested an always-on channel for Twitch earlier this year in the same category but decided to focus on series formats rather than 24/7 linear streaming.
“Esports is continuing to grow in popularity with a fanbase that thrives on both the real-time events and live commentary about the scene in general,” said Michael Aragon, Twitch’s SVP of content. “Cheddar’s decision to go all in with a live talk show focused on eSports [and] dedicating a day-long live stream from TwitchCon 2018… shows they have their hands on the pulse of the Twitch community.”
Aside from its regular news coverage from the New York Stock Exchange, Cheddar also produces seven other genre-specific formats on topics like cryptocurrency and cannabis.
Cheddar’s broadcast coverage and linear streams air across Sling TV, Hulu, YouTube TV, Snapchat, fuboTV, Philo, Amazon, Twitch, Twitter, 60 percent of smart TVs in the U.S., and Facebook.