The BBC is to broadcast a major e-sports tournament over the next six weeks.
It will show coverage of the Gfinity Elite Series contest every weekend on BBC Three online.
Some 160 gamers will compete in front of live crowds for a £225,000 prize.
There are already places where large numbers of viewers watch e-sports, but one analyst said the BBC's coverage could attract new viewers to the genre.
Under the deal, the BBC will include broadcasts of exclusive editorial content from the Gfinity tournament in west London.
The games to be played include fighting title Street Fighter V, first person shooter Counter Strike: Global Offensive, and robot football game Rocket League.
Currently, online streaming channels Twitch and YouTube command the biggest audiences for e-sports, although events are also now being shown on conventional TV stations such as Ginx in the UK.
The BBC has broadcast highlights of e-sports tournaments in the past, but said the Gfinity coverage would be "on a much larger scale".
Is watching people mash buttons must-see TV?
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 29 2017, @07:24PM (3 children)
Who still watches TV?
(Score: 1) by Ethanol-fueled on Saturday July 29 2017, @07:50PM (2 children)
With 4k TV you can almost smell the 3 day-old bacon and Cheeto stink of a warehouse packed full of dick-kneading neckbeards!
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 29 2017, @09:45PM
Ut, tut, tut. You're being stupid again! Dummy up or you'll be put back on the short bus.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 29 2017, @09:55PM
I'm not sure which show you're referencing but it way sounds better than anything I've been unfortunate enough to catch in the last decade. Seriously dude, you're wasted here, the world of consumer appliance marketing awaits!