OWL introduces community co-streaming for select match days
Blizzard EntertainmentThe Overwatch League has announced that community members will be able to co-stream OWL matches on certain match days in a new program.
In a new program for the 2022 OWL season, the league will allow community members to co-stream specific match days Blizzard announced Wednesday. The program will start on the first day of the OWL opening weekend, which begins May 5 at 3 p.m. EST.
Content creators and streamers can apply using a Google Form and the deadline for the first weekend of co-streams is April 27. People who apply should get a response within a week according to the announcement.
The matchups for the first day of co-streaming are New York Excelsior vs. Los Angeles Gladiators, San Francisco Shock vs. Paris Eternal and Florida Mayhem vs. Atlanta Reign. The OWL will start competing this year on an early build of Overwatch 2, with 5 vs. 5 gameplay.
The more the merrier 🥳
Open Co-Streaming has arrived to celebrate this new era of Overwatch, and you're invited!
Read all about how to join the #OWLStreamTeam ➡️ https://t.co/lI37oDiAfy pic.twitter.com/qQ1vxDjefz
— Overwatch Esports (@OW_Esports) April 20, 2022
OWL co-streaming guidelines
Blizzard EntertainmentThe OWL announcement also outlines general rules and guidelines that community members need to follow including being a legal adult in their country of residence and that they not run advertisements during the broadcast. The co-streams must also be on YouTube and the league will monitor co-streamers and have the ability to pull any streamer or content creator’s co-streaming rights.
Co-streamers will also have to share viewership data with the league if requested. The announcement specified that this is a “pilot program” so changes and tweaks to rules, guidelines and matches could come in the future.
“We hope this program offers a new way of engaging with the Overwatch League and allows creators to bring awesome match action to their communities,” the announcement says. “This is a pilot program, so we’ll be learning and developing along the way!”
More dates and matches for co-streaming have yet to be announced.
The response to the new program has been overwhelmingly positive. OWL seems to be taking notes from Riot Games and its co-streaming policies around Valorant and League of Legends.