Press release -
Pro League Season Seven Finals Return to Dallas With $1 Million Prize Pool
New Season Builds Off of Record Breaking Season Six Finals
Cologne, Germany - February 20, 2018 - ESL, the world’s largest esports company, and WESA, the World Esports Association, today announced that the Counter Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Pro League Season Seven Finals will return to Dallas, Texas, on May 18-20, 2018. Pro League is the world’s longest running professional league for CS:GO, and its Season Seven Finals will host 16 teams competing for the championship title and a shot at a $1 million prize pool in front of a live audience at the Verizon Theatre.
After three days of compelling group stages, the audience will see two quarter-finals, the two semi-finals and the grand finale live on site spread across the three main event days. The competition will debut on and stream exclusively via Facebook Live in English and Portuguese. All live broadcasts from CS:GO Pro League will be available in 1080p/60fps on Facebook and will also be streamed in VR.
“We are looking forward to bringing the Pro League Finals back to Dallas after such a successful Season Six Finals in Odense," said Ken Hershman, Commissioner and Executive Chairman, WESA. "This year we will expand the opportunity for Pro League competition to even more talented teams around the globe, and we look forward to an exciting year and eagerly await the Finals."
Last season’s finals in Odense, Denmark garnered record-breaking viewership. The Season Six Finals saw a 95% growth in concurrent viewers compared to the Season Five Finals, which were also held in Dallas back in 2017. Over the course of five days, more than four million hours of content were consumed through 27 live streams in 18 languages and eight linear TV broadcasts.
“With a couple of interesting new lineups forming and the superstars returning, this season will be very exciting to watch,” said Ulrich Schulze Senior Vice President of Product at ESL. “Building off of the record-breaking year in Season Six, we aim to create the best CS:GO experience for Pro League fans both in attendance and online.”
Ticket sales for the Pro League Season Seven Finals in Dallas start on February 23, 2018 at 6pm CET (9am Pacific). Be sure to follow ESL CS on Twitter and Facebook for all the latest updates.
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About ESL
ESL, a part of the international digital entertainment group MTG, is the world's largest esports company, leading the industry across the most popular video games with numerous online and offline competitions. It operates high profile, branded international and national leagues and tournaments such as the Intel® Extreme Masters, ESL One, ESL National Championships and other top tier stadium-size events, as well as grassroots amateur cups, leagues and matchmaking systems. ESL covers a broad field of services in gaming technology, event management, advertising and television production, fully catering to the needs of the esports ecosystem. With offices in North America, Germany, Russia, France, Poland, Spain, China, and partners in many other countries, it has a truly global footprint. (www.eslgaming.com)
About WESA
WESA was founded in May 2016 and counts as its Members thirteen of the world’s most popular esports teams (EnVyUS, FaZe Clan, Fnatic, G2 Esports, mousesports, Natus Vincere, Ninjas in Pyjamas, North, OpTic Gaming, Renegades, SK Gaming, Splyce and Virtus.pro) together with ESL, the world’s largest esports company. This elite group shares a collective vision to continue to professionalize esports by introducing elements of player representation, standardized regulations and revenue sharing for teams. Based on traditional sports association models, WESA also aims to create predictable schedules for fans, players, organizers and broadcasters by engaging all appropriate stakeholders. Pro League for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Paladins are the first two professional esports competition played under WESA guidance.
About Pro League
Pro League is the world’s largest professional league for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, featuring the best teams from North America and Europe. Primarily broadcasted on YouTube and staged in major venues across the globe, Pro League hosts the most widely-watched CS:GO competitions. Pro League was established in 2015 and has a total prize pool of $2 million US dollars for 2017 (proleague.com/csgo).
