Swisscom said it will be establishing a Swiss eSports league for both for professionals and for the general public.
Swisscom has chosen ESL(Electronic Sports League) as its professional partner, the world's largest eSports company with almost 20 years of experience.
According to Swisscom, gaming has become a national sport in Switzerland: Over 3 million people regularly play on their PCs, consoles or mobile devices. Also in the professional gaming sector - eSport - there are already some teams that compete at international championships and tournaments, which are in no way inferior to popular sports.
In addition to a professional league, there will also be so-called Go4Cups for casual gamers. Swisscom Hero League powered by ESL currently offers platforms for the games "League of Legends", "Hearthstone" and "Clash Royale».
Stadiums in the USA and Asia are not the only ones filled with gamers, as the demand in Europe is growing massively – for live streams and TV broadcasts as well. Swisscom TV will therefore be the first in Switzerland to bring the special-interest channels ESL.tv, ES1 and ginx to Switzerland.
Furthermore, Swisscom is continuously optimising all network components to meet the needs of gamers. In addition to high broadband coverage, fast response times (ping) and high upload rates – and ideally symmetrical bandwidths (same bandwidth for upload and download) – are especially important for streamers.
Torsten Haux, VP Global Media Rights & eSports TV
The best Swiss eSportsman is probably still sitting on the sofa, and we want to give this person the opportunity to compete internationally with top gamers. With the Swisscom Hero League powered by ESL, we are laying the corner stone for professional gaming in Switzerland
Michael In Albon, Youth Media Protection Officer, Swisscom
It is undisputed among experts today that with the right dosage, gaming can also be beneficial for development. But, as with any digital medium, it is important to learn how to use it correctly.
