Major League Gaming Hires Machinima Exec To Lead Programming Push

As the success of Twitch has proven, e-sports is one of the fastest-growing categories in the online video industry, and the top e-sports league in the world is looking for a  bigger piece of the live streaming pie. Major League Gaming (MLG) has announced the hire of former Machinima exec Ryan “Fwiz” Wyatt, who will head up MLG.TV, the company’s online video division.

Wyatt started his career with MLG before moving over to Machinima to head-up the gaming-focused multi-channel network’s live and eSports programming. He was an essential part of the formation of Machinima Vs., an eSports channel that now has more than 200,000 subscribers. During his time at Machinima, the network also built up its presence on Twitch, further diving into the live streaming video game community. He’s also a pro gamer himself, excelling at Call of Duty.

Wyatt will take the reins of MLG.TV, which is still relatively new. It launched in November 2013 and has already generated some impressive traffic.

It claims between 3-6 million uniques on weekends featuring MLG tournaments, and the average viewer logs on for 157 minutes–which the company notes to be a higher watch time than that of the average NCAA March Madness Live viewer.

“MLG fueled my eSports career six years ago and I am thrilled to return as VP of Programming.  The exceptional growth of MLG.tv has been inspiring and that success ultimately drew me back to the company,” said Wyatt in a press release. “Leveraging my expertise and passion for eSports, I am committed to continuing to stoke the growth by developing high-quality programming and working with the top talent and organizations in the gaming industry to build the most entertaining live platform.”

MLG has been a leader in eSports since its launch in 2002, and with its new hires, it is looking to take up a similar position in the field of eSports live streaming. MLG.tv an online video platform worth keeping an eye on.