For years, Sveriges Television, the national Swedish broadcasting company, have partnered with DreamHack during their StarCraft 2 Open tournaments.
According to sources to Aftonbladet Esport, they will now air CS:GO in the same manner.
Contracts are yet to be signed, but SVT:s project manager confirms that they’ve talked to DreamHack about the game.
– That is one of the possibilities we’ve talked to them about, but I can’t say anything more at this time, Ola Gerhardsson says.

The Swedish esports fans have been able to watch StarCraft 2 live on the Public Service network since 2009 when Sveriges Television started broadcasting DreamHack events. Now, sources tell Aftonbladet Esport that the company will make a move into CS:GO, since the game got Open status by the arrangers only a couple of weeks ago. No contracts have been signed, but the deal is set to be finished within days.

”CS:GO is one of the possibilities”

The SVT esports project manager Ola Gerhardsson won’t confirm that CS:GO will be a part of their programming in the future, but he says that they’ve been in talks with DreamHack about future titles.
– We’re looking at different options on what to air this year. CS:GO is an alternative but we’ve had some discussions regarding what we can air on Public Service. CS:GO is one of the possibilities that we’re talking to DreamHack about but I can’t say anything more at this point, he says.

Regarding your discussions, is there a concern about the violence in CS:GO, with the terrorists and everything?

– You have to keep in mind that it can be viewed as a more illustrative violence, we can’t disregard that. But the point is really the same as in StarCraft 2, to eliminate each other. In any case it’s the game’s idea, the tactical part, that’s interesting. We’ll see what happens.

”We’ve had a really great response”

But in any case, you will expand your esports repertoire in the future?

– Yes, esports is growing and we have to be there for our viewers of all ages. Esports isn’t just a youth sport, it cuts through many age-groups. We’ve had a really great response and it has awoken an interest in people who weren’t interested before. It’s also great that finnish YLE have been broadcasting from DreamHack too.

DreamHacks head of press Fredrik Nyström won’t confirm that CS:GO is set to air on SVT either.
– We’ve cooperated with SVT for almost four years and we talk to a lot of companies, I can’t say anything more than that, he tells Aftonbladet Esport.