YouTube is the new exclusive broadcasting platform of the Esports Championship Series (ECS), the league's organisers have announced.

The multi-year partnership between ECS and Youtube will come into effect on March 25, in time for the Season 3 Promotion stage, which will determine the last four teams entering the league.

The news marks a huge shift in the ECS structure, with Twitch having been a partner of FACEIT since the launch of the league, which paid out $3.5 million over the first two seasons.



ECS signs a multi-year deal with YouTube

The ECS is now the second big CS:GO competition to partner with YouTube, which was announced in January as the exclusive platform for the English-language broadcast of the ESL Pro League throughout 2017.

"YouTube offers fans of the ECS an unmatched online viewing experience," FACEIT Chief Business Officer and co-founder Michele Attisani said in a statement. "YouTube is by far the most watched platform for gamers in the world and continues to innovate and lead on video technology, making it a great place for us to call our new home for the Esports Championship Series".

All ECS matches will be streamed live in 1080p/60 fps, with "advanced future integrations" soon to be unveiled within YouTube and FACEIT's gaming platform. YouTube has also vowed to work closely with the ECS players to provide guidance on how they can grow the audience of their channels.