DALLAS, Aug. 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Dallas
Morning News (NYSE: AHC) announced today that it will launch
coverage of the Dallas Fuel professional esports franchise within
the SportsDay area of its digital products, found at:
https://dallasnews.com/esports. The team, headquartered in
Dallas and owned by esports
organization Envy Gaming, is a founding member of the 20-team
Overwatch League. The News intends to provide
intensive, digital-only coverage as the team enters the final weeks
of the regular season.
The Overwatch League, currently in the final stage of its second
season, launched with the intention of geolocating its teams.
Featuring franchises from three continents, all matches currently
are played in Los Angeles, and all
players reside there. That will change next year, when the teams
move to their respective hometowns. Anticipating this move to
be amidst its local fan base, The News intends to cover the
team vigorously when the Fuel move to Dallas in 2020.
Garry Leavell, Assistant Managing
Editor/Sports offered, "We think we are in a strong position to
build a following of esports enthusiasts. There are plenty of
bloggers who don't have access to players and some good esports
journalists who write trend stories. But no one covers local sports
franchises the way we approach the Cowboys, Mavs, Rangers or Stars.
We think esports fans are hungry for serious coverage. Led by
assistant sports editor Tommy
Magelssen, we aim to provide that coverage of the Dallas
Fuel."
The coverage provided by The News before the team's
full-time North Texas arrival
provides a feedback and learning opportunity for the business as it
expands coverage into this burgeoning arena.
Grant Moise, President and
Publisher of The Dallas Morning News said, "The Dallas
Morning News will continue to evolve our coverage of areas of
interest to the North Texas
community and our broad geographic footprint. The topic of
esports is one such area we have identified for expanded coverage
in which North Texans have expressed an emphatic interest.
Esports is a multi-billion-dollar industry with millions of
dedicated players and followers, but until now there has been a
lack of serious reporting on the teams, especially from big news
organizations. We intend to change this and will experiment with
coverage, interact with our loyal audience members, and receive
feedback in this new arena so that we can deliver the content that
is of most interest to the enthusiastic North Texas fan
community."
During this initial phase, The News will cover the Dallas
Fuel from Aug. 5 until the end of
their season. The regular season ends Aug.
25 with playoffs scheduled through Sept. 29. The
News will evaluate audience reception, engagement, feedback and
enthusiasm for the initial coverage and process those data points
and information into its plans for continued, in-depth coverage
upon the franchise's full-time arrival in North Texas.
About The Dallas Morning News
Established in
1885, The Dallas Morning News is Texas' leading newspaper and the flagship
newspaper and media subsidiary of A. H. Belo Corporation. It has
received nine Pulitzer Prizes since 1986, as well as numerous other
industry awards recognizing the quality of its investigative and
feature journalism, design and photo journalism. Its portfolio of
print and digital products reaches an average daily audience of
over 1.1 million people including the flagship brand online news
and information site https://www.dallasnews.com; iPhone, Android
and iPad apps; al día https://www.aldiadallas.com,
the leading Spanish-language publication in North Texas; and briefing, the free,
home-delivered quick-read.
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SOURCE The Dallas Morning News