ELEAGUE Season 1
ELEAGUE Season 1 was the inaugural season of the ELEAGUE Counter-Strike: Global Offensive league, running from May 24, 2016, to July 30, 2016. This was the first CS:GO league to be broadcast on cable television in the United States, airing on TBS and streaming online on Twitch. The season featured 24 teams from across the world to compete in a 10-week season, which included a regular season and a playoffs.
| 2016 | |
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Sport | Counter-Strike: Global Offensive |
| Location | Atlanta, Georgia, United States |
| Dates | May 24, 2016–July 30, 2016 |
| Administrator | Turner Sports William Morris Endeavor |
Tournament format(s) | Group Stage (Bo1/Bo3) Single-Elimination Brackets (Bo3) |
| Venue | Turner Studios |
| Teams | 24 teams |
| Purse | $1,400,000 USD |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Virtus.pro |
| 1st runners-up | Fnatic |
| 2nd runners-up | Natus Vincere mousesports |
| MVP | Janusz "Snax" Pogorzelski |
On September 24, 2015 Turner Broadcasting announced that it was partnering with talent agency WME/IMG for a new esports project. Matches were broadcast live on TBS on Friday nights, starting on May 27, 2016. The broadcast was simultaneously available on the online streaming service Twitch. Matches were played at the Turner Studios facility in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The semifinals and final were played at the Cobb Energy Center.
Turner partnered with online streaming services to bring additional video content. One such program featured the Renegades' move from Australia to the United States. Additional content was available on Bleacher Report's Team Stream App. The finals between Virtus.pro and Fnatic was also broadcast on Twitter. The production and broadcast team received positive reviews.
The season started with Luminosity Gaming sweeping Renegades in Group A's best of two and the first televised CS:GO match featured Luminosity Gaming defeating Cloud9 2–1. The season ended with Virtus.pro defeating Fnatic 2–0 to take home the first edition of ELEAGUE. At the end of the season 1 finals, analyst Richard Lewis announced that the second season of ELEAGUE would air on October 7, 2016.