OpTic Texas CEO Hector ‘H3CZ’ Rodriguez may have let slip that the Call of Duty League’s YouTube exclusivity deal is happening, after much speculation from the community in recent months as matches were streamed on both YouTube and Twitch.
In the opening three years of the Call of Duty League, matches were streamed exclusively on YouTube due to an agreement made between the platform and Activision Blizzard across all of their esports entities.
For the 2022/23 season on Modern Warfare II, however, the CDL failed to negotiate an optimal deal with either Twitch or YouTube, and thus ended up streaming on both by the end of the season.
Dexerto reported that the League could be looking to sign an exclusivity deal mid-season, but after mass fan backlash, plans were reverted and they went back to the drawing board.
We then reported again in June that a two-year deal was on the cards, subject to the CDL owners’ meeting at CDL Champs in July, and H3CZ now might have let slip that it’s going ahead.
H3CZ speaks on CDL to YouTube
“I think the interest in Call of Duty just isn’t there, and next year would’ve been a different story but since we’re going back to YouTube, it’s not going to be,” he said on the OpTic podcast, before Seth ‘Scump’ Abner interjected with a “rumored!”
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He went on to say that “It hasn’t officially been released,” but many viewers are reading between the lines and assuming that H3CZ may have simply let slip that it will be happening.
H3CZ might have just confirmed that the CDL is returning to YouTube https://t.co/4pLGRVG8mk
— Jacob Hale (@JakeHaleee) July 20, 2023
Hector, along with Matthew ‘Nadeshot’ Haag, a number of pros and much of the fanbase, have reiterated their frustrations with the idea of going back to YouTube, but it looks like that won’t change now.
This is especially pertinent now considering the recent news that Overwatch League teams will vote to continue under a new deal, with a risk that the league is abandoned fully if the team owners decide to take the $6 termination fee.
With the Activision Blizzard franchised esports leagues both struggling to thrive, a YouTube deal might bring in enough money to appease some teams, but fans and certain owners definitely won’t be happy.