Nadeshot and H3CZ rally to stop CDL YouTube deal
As Activision's balance books are revaluating its franchised esports leagues (the Overwatch League and Call of Duty League), icons of these games are rallying together to prevent a proposed two-year broadcast deal that would see the CDL move exclusively to YouTube.
Having recently announced a wavering of the outstanding franchise league entry fees for the Toronto Defiant - opening the doors for CDL teams to follow suit - it now seems that Activision is looking elsewhere to secure some cash flow for its League. It starts with broadcast rights.
New reports have emerged that Activision has followed through on rumours of taking the CDL over to YouTube Gaming, exclusively, again, much to the dismay of Call of Duty stalwarts like Matthew "Nadeshot" Haag and Hector "H3CZ" Rodriguez.
CDL Org owners are not happy with YouTube Gaming deal rumours
Click to enlargeAccording to a report from Dexerto's Jake Hale, Activision is signing a two-year deal to sell the broadcast rights to YouTube Gaming again, which will see the CDL streams move entirely away from Twitch. This is despite the clear increase in viewership this season.
Although this would subsidise a lot of the cash that Activision is owed from teams, organisation owners are imploring that the deal is not taken and that the CDL stays on Twitch.
OpTic Texas owner H3CZ took to social media to say, "This cannot be true, as we have the owners meeting next week to discuss this very topic and why it isn't in the best interest of the CDL and the stability of its future."
He previously said, "If they truly care about the product, they will let it live where it's most consumed," in an interview with Jake Lucky, a sentiment that was echoed by Seth "Scump" Abner in their latest podcast.
Nadeshot slams proposed CDL and YouTube broadcast deal
Click to enlargeOne of the biggest issues is viewership, as watch parties by the likes of Seth "Scump" Abner and Thomas "ZooMaa" Paparatto have been leading the stats in recent events, which will only increase as Nick "NICKMERCS" Kolcheff is being pulled in to co-stream the World Championships.
So after some people jumped to the defence of the deal, on the variable that the money could be best to keep the league afloat, Nadeshot took to Twitter to say, "You would be shocked by how little the CDL is being paid for exclusivity. I promise you, the juice isn't worth the squeeze on this one."
"Viewership is survival. Full stop. Everything else can be figured out after the fact. The CDL is owned and operated by a multi-billion dollar company, they could operate the league at a loss permanently and it wouldn't leave a dent on their P&L. Viewership first, monetize after," he added.
The franchise team owners are all set to get in the same room for the Call of Duty World Championships next weekend, where more talks and complaints against the deal will continue.