ANTICIPATING a worldwide boom in gaming, STAR has formed joint ventures with DirecTV in the US and with sister company BSkyB in the UK to invest in and broadcast the first international professional video gaming league.Launched this year, the Championship Gaming Series (CGS) gives players the chance to turn professional and to win prize money totaling $US1 million.Aiming to cater for a wide variety of interests, participants play games such as racing (PGR 3), soccer (FIFA 2007), martial arts (DOA 4), and tactical first-person shooting (Counter-Strike: Source).“Games have also been chosen for their brevity as we want developments in brief and fast moving games to engage audiences,” says Jeremy Hall Smith, Senior Vice President, STAR, who is overseeing the Asian broadcaster’s involvement in the gaming league.Revenue from the global gaming industry topped $US31.6 billion in 2006 and is forecast to jump to $48.9 billion by 2011; and Asia Pacific which accounted for $11.7 billion of the 2006 gaming revenue, will grow at a CAGR of 10% in the next five years. That’s according to PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in its Global Entertainment and Media Outlook: 2007-2011 report.While PwC estimates 65 million US households are currently playing video games, independent technology research and consulting firm, Yankee Group, places the number of gamers worldwide at a staggering 400 million. Already, online games are offering a sneak peak into their vast money-spinning potential with the World of Warcraft being played by 8 million players worldwide, each paying $US15 monthly, while Microsoft’s Xbox Live platform has drawn 6 million players forking out $60 per year.The CGS league spans the globe, with qualifying events in Asia, Australia, the Middle East, Europe, Latin America and North America, as well as a 12-team World Championship final to be held from Dec. 6 – 14 in L.A.Each team comprises 10 players, five compete in team matches in Valve’s Counter- Strike: Source (PC); Electronic Arts’ FIFA 2007 (PC) is played by one; a mixed duo competes in Tecmo’s Dead Or Alive 4 matches (Microsoft Xbox 360); and Project Gotham Racing 3 (Microsoft Xbox 360) is played by another pair. As of Oct. 18 the top four teams of the pan- Asian leg including Singapore, Australia, China and Korea were drafted into the World Championship final, with each player clinching a contract worth $US30,000 a year.The tournament will be broadcast across Asia and the Middle East on STAR, US and Latin America on DIRECTV, Mexico and Brazil on Sky, as well as UK on BSkyB.Speaking at the joint venture announcement in July, Laureen Ong, Chief Operating Officer, STAR said “We believe that the league’s reality-competition format and vigorous elimination process will have a mass appeal and provide viewers – gamers and non-gamers alike – an unprecedented viewing experience.”“We are looking to take gaming shows beyond niche audiences,” said Hall Smith, noting this marks a departure from previous gaming shows with its move away from a review-heavy format which has traditionally characterized such content. “Gaming shows provide a lot of opportunities for further development and reality shows are among these possibilities,” he added.ESPN STAR Sports started airing a weekly hour-long program on Oct. 15, featuring highlights from CGS regional qualifiers around the world. The CGS show marks STAR’s return to gaming content, extending from the game review show Arcade that aired on Channel [V] earlier this year to “positive” responses from regional audiences.Featuring multiple ‘in-game’ cameras which follow the developments of matches, the show provides coverage similar to that of professional sports and focuses on the competition as well as the profile of competitors. Commentary is provided by CGS spokesperson and top US-based professional gamer Johnathan Wendel (a.k.a. “Fatal1ty”).In addition to showcasing engaging graphics-intensive visuals from the games, the show aims to appeal to a wider audience by highlighting the competitive nature of the games and personalities of the gamers which have been likened to professional athletes.Aside from TV, Hall Smith believes gaming-related content including video clips and interviews lends itself to the Internet platform. “Gamingrelated shows are generally well suited for the Internet as it caters to gaming enthusiasts who are very active online,” he observed.Hall Smith acknowledges logistics are a significant challenge in STAR’s coverage of the qualifying events held in Australia, South Korea, China, UAE and Malaysia. Also, with the show and tournament being a brand new proposition, he revealed the gaming community took some convincing in terms of the competition’s authenticity, helped by viral marketing.After securing Mountain Dew, Dell XPS and Microsoft as sponsors for the tournament, Hall Smith said mobile technology provider Nokia is on board for the Asia Pacific segment as all parties gear up for the grand finale this December.

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