Series special “Mortal Kombat X: Machinima’s Chasing the Cup” is coming to CW

As reported by Variety, series special “Mortal Kombat X: Machinima’s Chasing the Cup” is coming to CW in February. For the digital studio, it is the first time it makes a deal with a TV network.

CW will air the first five episodes of the new show online at CW Seed, airing the show finale of the ESL Mortal Kombat X Pro League Finals on the CW on Monday, February 15, at 8 pm ET.

Time Warner, owner of the mentioned TV network with CBS, has an equity investment in the online digital network. It also owns Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, the publisher of the fighting game franchise.

But, why won’t CW air the entire series on TV instead of just the finale? Rick Haskins, the Exec VP of Marketing and Digital Programs at CW, said the decision was made in part due to growing the audience of the network’s free CW Seed service and also playing safe as eSports has not been tested on broadcast TV before. According to Variety, Haskins said “eSports is a relatively untested commodity on broadcast television.”

Two previous seasons of Chasing the Cup were aired on Machinima’s YouTube and Twitch channels.

The first three episodes are already available online at http://www.cwseed.com/shows/mortal-kombat-x/.

[Source]: Variety: CW to Air Machinima ‘Mortal Kombat X’ eSports Special on TV.