Facebook recently acquired exclusive rights to broadcast ESL Dota 2 and the reaction has been mostly negative [1]. Players and fans are accustomed to watching p

Facebook recently acquired exclusive rights to broadcast ESL Dota 2 and the reaction has been mostly negative [1]. Players and fans are accustomed to watching professional games on Twitch or using the game client, both of which provide a better experience. Twitch has a very good streaming interface, chat with Dota 2 related emotes, and easy clipping of highlights. The game client lets you view via broadcaster's perspective, any player's perspective (great for learning from the pros) or free cam. It has turned into a PR nightmare for ESL. They shot themselves in the foot by throwing fits on Twitter and DMCA'ing (in bad faith) other prominent Twitch streamers who broadcast the matches directly from the game client, which is explicitly allowed by Valve. The whole ordeal seems like a land grab by Facebook. Why would anyone want their friends / family to know they're watching people play video games for hours? Why put up with a terrible streaming interface when Twitch and Youtube are well-known and proven? No one wanted this except Facebook; buying up users to track and monetize them is just what they do best. [1] https://www.reddit.com/r/DotA2/search?q=esl&restrict_sr=on https://www.reddit.com/r/DotA2/search?q=esl&restrict_sr=on