*By Conor White*
Now that Portugal has been eliminated from the FIFA World Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo needs a new job, and Facebook could be stepping in.
The company is reportedly in talks with the soccer superstar for a 13-episode reality show on its 'Watch' platform, but not everyone thinks it will work.
"It's amazing to me that Facebook is willing to drop so much money on original programming," said Taylor Lorenz, staff writer at The Atlantic. "I think they're spending like $10 million reportedly on this. I don't think it'll bring people in."
In an interview Friday on Cheddar, Lorenz noted that even if this series happens, Facebook needs to reassess its approach to 'Watch'.
"To me, they're still trying to force this behavior of going there and treating it as a TV experience down users' throats."
With over 120 million fans on the platform, Ronaldo is the single most followed athlete on Facebook, so it's safe to assume a show starring him would at least attract international viewers, but they may not have the capability to properly watch it.
"One of the problems with international markets is they don't have the data streaming speed to watch these long shows," explained Lorenz. "Even my phone on my New York City WiFi can be buffering sometimes, I can't get through the whole show. So I think as they move into long form content, they really need to focus on the usability of it and making it work."
For the full segment, [click here.](https://cheddar.com/videos/welcome-to-local-twitter)
PUBG announces their global league for 2019, Red Dead Redemption 2 releases, and Riot faces down a lawsuit for workplace discrimination. Featuring Guy Blaze, ESL brand partnerships SVP Paul Brewer, and CEO of Electronic Gaming Federation Tyler Schrodt.
Alex Garfield re-enters esports, Cloud9 pulls off a miracle, Rocket League executes a win, and Z-Event raises 1 million euros. Featuring ESL SVP Brand Partnerships Paul Brewer, VP Pro Gaming Michal "Carmac" Blicharz, and Former MLB Professional Pitcher Jim Hoey V of Logitech G
SonixFox wins IPS 2 and donates 10k, the Game Award Nominees, Pokemon Let's Go, and big changes to Overwatch and Fortnite. Featuring NYXL Head of Business Development and Events Ben "MrBitter" Nichol, ReKTGlobal Esports VP Kevin Knocke, Cameron Davis, and Astro Gaming's Thadeous Cooper.
League of Legends World Championship, the Overwatch World Cup, and Serral's incredible victory at Blizzcon. Featuring
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Amazon is reportedly looking to expand its foothold in live programming, with an eye on the 22 regional sports networks that Disney must spin off as part of its acquisition of 21st Century Fox. For Amazon, it would be the extension of a grand strategy that has been both simple and consistent: drive more Prime subscriptions.
PlayVS, a start-up created to build an infrastructure for high school esports, has announced a new Series B funding round of $30.5 million, led by Elysian Park Ventures, a firm that operates on behalf of the Los Angeles Dodgers ownership group. The new funding will also bring in new investments from Adidas, Samsung NEXT, and Plexo Capital, and angel investors include Sean “Diddy” Combs.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Monday, Nov. 19, 2018.
Mike Sepso is a gilded name in esports. His latest win? The senior VP of Activision Blizzard was recently appointed a strategic partner of Overwatch team league New York Excelsior. And he also happens to be the leader of Major League Gaming, which he founded with partner Sundance DiGiovanni in 2002. But before he assumed his throne, Sepso conceived MLG during a single lazy summer when he and his partner were basking in the glory of their previous company, Gotham Broadband.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Friday, Nov. 16, 2018.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know.
