YouTube is amping up competition against Twitch with exclusive livestreaming of esports events.

YouTube is amping up competition against Twitch with exclusive livestreaming of esports events. Thanks to a multiyear deal with Activision Blizzard, YouTube will now exclusively livestream esports events like Call of Duty League, Overwatch League, and Hearthstone—which up until now, used to stream on Twitch. While YouTube previously signed deals with gamer influencers, they’re now trying to “corner the marketplace” for streaming major esports leagues to capture their thousands and millions of young viewers: YPulse found that 40% of 13-to-36-year-old males have watched video gaming content live. (The Verge, Mobile Marketer)