Championship Gaming Series

History

David Hill, after leaving his role as president of Fox Sports to lead DirecTV, discovered competitive gaming through his grandchildren and saw potential in esports. Drawing on his broadcast experience, he wanted DirecTV to own the broadcasting rights for the new league. Hill secured financing from News Corporation, associated with Rupert Murdoch, for a five-year period. The CGS recruited well-known figures and initially required complete exclusivity from players, but after private concerns from team owners about restricted earnings and sponsorship opportunities, the league adopted a "Limited Exclusivity" policy.

This allowed teams to attend other events with written permission, provided they wore CGS jerseys, used CGS players or approved substitutes, and promoted the league in media appearances. In July 2006, a pilot episode called the Championship Gaming Invitational was taped at Treasure Island in San Francisco, followed by a second CGI in Santa Monica on December 16, 2006. DirecTV announced the official launch of the CGS on January 8, 2007, at the International Consumer Electronics Show, with the first season scheduled from July to December.

However, in March 2007, Hill returned to Fox after News Corp's stake in DirecTV was sold to Liberty Media. DirecTV then partnered with BSkyB and Star TV, secured sponsorships from Mountain Dew and Alienware, and appointed Andy Reif, formerly of AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour and Paramount Pictures, as CEO and commissioner.

Format

Before each season, the CGS held scouting combines in various cities, open to all participants. General managers drafted players based on combine results. In 2008, teams could protect players in two of the five events, with all others entering the draft pool. Points were awarded per event: Dead or Alive 4 gave one point per round won in a best-of-nine format; Forza Motorsport 2 awarded four points to the winning driver, two to second, and one to third; FIFA 08 used an eight-minute minigame where each goal counted as one point, with penalty kicks deciding ties and each penalty goal also adding a point; Counter-Strike: Source consisted of 18 rounds with one point per winning round, a sudden death round if tied, and a tie-breaking round if overall points were tied. No bonus points were given for winning an event.

Broadcast

The first season was filmed live at a movie sound stage in Manhattan Beach before an audience of about 200 people, airing on DirecTV from July 9, 2007, in two-hour episodes twice weekly. The 2008 North American matches and world tournament were held at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, with free tickets distributed by Jam Packed Entertainment. Commentators included Paul "ReDeYe" Chaloner, Marcus "djWHEAT" Graham, and Johnathan "Fatal1ty" Wendel, while hosts included DJ Stryker, Tommy Tallarico, and Andrew Siciliano.