Ben-DutkaIt isn't Major League Baseball, but it's still – technically – a "major league."
And based on the numbers, the Major League Gaming organization is looking at a bright future, as more people are tuning in to catch the action than ever before.
According to GameSpot , MLG not only handed over $1 million in prizes to competitors, but the organization's viewership is on the rise. They revealed that over 3.5 million people watched the 2011 Pro Circuit season during its 8-month, 6-event run (counting both in-person attendees and those who watched online). That number is a record for the e-sports industry, and believe it or not, the MLG is reaching more males in the 18-24 range than several significant cable TV networks.
Said MLG CEO Sundance DiGiovanni:
"Our live streams of the Pro Circuit National Championships garnered more 18-24 male viewers than Comedy Central, MTV, TBS, and FX draw in an average quarter hour and nearly as many as Adult Swim."
241,000 online viewers in 175 countries checked out the 2011 Pro Circuit National Championships in Providence, Rhode Island, and around 97,000 people physically attended this year's events. They also had the highest draw yet during the season when more than 20,000 fans attended a three-day event in Anaheim.
Well, I'm obviously out of the loop. I don't think I've ever seen any MLG events anywhere. How about you?
