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The Overwatch League exclusively airs on Twitch after a preseason of airing on MLG.com, and we can soon expect an upgrade to our viewing experience. The Overwatch League and Twitch just announced a series of programs that should enhance watching the Overwatch League by giving bonus League Tokens, granting access to exclusive behind the scenes content, and even creating a better Twitch chat experience.
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Cheering
Cheering is a program that has already debuted on Twitch, but it’s now being integrated into Overwatch League viewing. Fans can Cheer with Bits, the virtual Twitch currency, and the following rewards can be granted as a result:
- In-game hero skins with a timed exclusive window
- Twitch chat emotes
- Team-branded loot
- A Cheer leaderboard
The tl;dr is that tuning in has a chance to score you skins and emotes, and the people who spend the most on Twitch Bits will get to compete for a spot on the leaderboard. It’s not clear how many Bits can be spent and how the bonuses correlate, but it seems like an interesting system. Funds raised through this system will “support the partnership” between Twitch and the Overwatch League, as opposed to individual teams.
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Overwatch League Tokens
Earning tokens so far has required fans to pull out their wallet and make a transaction in the client, with half of each skin’s cost going to the team. Teams have also been hosting Token giveaways. Now, Overwatch League viewers can get Tokens by linking their Battle.net account with Twitch, MLG.com, or OverwatchLeague.com. Every live map finish will award one token (one one-hundreth of a skin). In addition, a percentage of viewers who watch the live broadcast to the end can randomly earn one hundred Tokens (enough for one skin). This sounds like it could potentially add up if you’re watching every game, since a match covers multiple maps. Add in the 100 Tokens bonus, and fans could potentially be able to round out their collection in a timely manner.
These rewards will be available to PC, Xbox One, and Playstation 4 players. The following countries will be eligible to participate: Argentina, Canada, Chile, Denmark, France, Germany, New Zealand, Norway, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, the United Kingdom and the United States.
The program will run through the inaugural season of the Overwatch League, and may potentially expand to additional countries.
More to come
A VIP ticket for Twitch is currently in development, which will continue to unlock in-game cosmetics as well as extra video content viewable on Twitch of behind the scenes moments. There will be more perks announced further along in development.
A Medium blog by Twitch covers the arrangement, and fans can link their accounts via their Twitch profile to ensure they’ll start earning Tokens before the stage two games begin tonight.