The 2024 Call of Duty League (CDL) season opener is quickly approaching. And while the 12 teams are preparing by arguing with each other about gentlemen’s agreements, there’s a big question that still needs to be answered: Where can you actually watch the CDL this season?
According to OpTic co-founder Hector “H3CZ” Rodriguez in August, he had heard “[the CDL’s] going on YouTube, no matter what.” This came after a CDL owners meeting in June, where H3CZ and 100 Thieves founder Matthew “Nadeshot” Haag were expected to vehemently argue against another reported YouTube exclusivity deal for the league.
After three years of a YouTube-only broadcast, the CDL streamed matches on both YouTube and Twitch during the 2023 season. And while thousands still watch the CDL on YouTube, the debate surrounding the streaming platform issue has been rather one-sided for quite some time, with one of the only arguments in favor of YouTube exclusivity being additional revenue from a media rights deal. The amount of money for that deal in question, however, “isn’t worth” moving away from Twitch, according to Nadeshot.
“You would be shocked by how little the CDL is being paid for exclusivity,” Nadeshot said in June in response to esports broadcaster Alex “Goldenboy” Mendez. “I promise you, the juice isn’t worth the squeeze on this one.”
Nadeshot further explained his position that the league should prioritize its viewership before attempting to cash out with media rights deals.
“Viewership is survival. Full stop. Everything else can be figured out after the fact,” Nadeshot said. “The CDL is owned and operated by a multi-billion dollar company, they could operate the league at a loss permanently and it wouldn’t leave a dent on their P&L. Viewership first, monetize after.”
But other than one-off comments, the league and its partners have been virtually silent on the matter since the summer. Now we inch closer to the first match of the 2024 season—Atlanta FaZe vs. Boston Breach on Dec. 8—without any concrete idea of where we should tune in. That’s stuff that should bashed over our heads until we beg for mercy.
While I hesitate at times to compare the CDL to traditional sports leagues because of how unfair that may be, I can’t help but imagine the ridicule, embarrassment, and public pressure the NFL and NBA would face if a season concluded and more than four months went by without a peep about the next year’s schedule—or if the leagues had not yet announced national broadcast details with season openers becoming ever closer. While that’s unfathomable for most professional sports leagues, this is the reality in the CDL.
I really am empathetic to those who are assigned thankless jobs within the CDL. I understand the positions they’re in with a large, rigid company that has far less interest in its competitive ventures than the ones that print money. But I also understand that as fans and media members, we cannot accept the status quo and silence we too often endure out of the love we have for CoD esports.
So please, stop keeping us in the dark, be transparent with us, and tell us where we can watch our favorite esports league.
Dot Esports reached out to the CDL and inquired about the league’s broadcast details and when an official announcement would be made. We did not receive a response at time of writing.
