In what could be a significant change to the esports ecosystems of Dota 2 and Counter-Strike 2 (CS2), ESL FACEIT Group has updated its co-streaming guidelines.
And in doing so, the esports tournament organiser and broadcaster has made some pretty significant changes to the rules for content creators hoping to co-stream its events on Twitch.
The guidelines state streamers, such as Mark ‘OhnePixel’ Zimmermann, will have to commit to watching the full broadcast uninterrupted without swapping away to something else during breaks.
This is to support ESL’s official broadcast talent and to ensure that sponsors still appear in front of the audiences they paid for.
ESL Ask Co-Streamers to Commit to Full Broadcasts
The guidelines now have a new section titled “Always-On Coverage”, which states the following:
- Uninterrupted Experience: Your co-stream must be a continuous experience from start to finish of the broadcast. Switching away to other streams, gameplay, or “Just Chatting” while the ESL tournament is live is strictly prohibited. The broadcast consists of:
- Gameplay: Defined as the start of Map 1 until the match concludes
- Audio: ESL broadcast audio must remain audible at a reasonable volume
- Visuals: Strict 5% Picture-in-Picture (PIP) limit (see Section 4)
- Interstitials: Includes desk segments, walkouts, and interviews
- Audio: ESL audio must remain audible
- Visuals: Overlay mortises may occupy a maximum of 33% of on-screen space
- Pre/Post-Show: Anything occurring before the countdown clock hits zero or after the final legal lines/trophy ceremony
- Gameplay: Defined as the start of Map 1 until the match concludes
ESL states that this rule change has been made to “eliminate audience leakage and maintain narrative integrity.”
This will stop streamers from making content during breaks and will ensure that all desk segments/interviews will be aired during co-streams.
Other Major ESL Co-Streaming Changes
Another significant update is that ESL is demanding the rights to co-streamers’ footage and likeness.
The “Likeness License” means co-streamers grant ESL a royalty-free license to use their likeness, voice, and excerpts from their streams for marketing and promotional purposes.
Additionally, ESL has forbidden co-streamers from talking about Skin Gambling/Trading/Marketplaces, which could particularly impact some CS2 streamers significantly with the game’s extensive trading market.
Do you think these changes are fair to protect esports tournament broadcasts? Share your thoughts on the Insider Gaming Discord.
We’ll see how this impacts future tournaments like the upcoming IEM Cologne CS2 event.
