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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: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 29 2017, @10:53PM (1 child)
best joke ever.
(Score: 2) by mth on Sunday July 30 2017, @04:47AM
Why can't computer games be sport? They don't have an athletic component, but neither does chess. Typical e-sport pros train 6-8 hours a day, analyze their matches to find weaknesses in their play, then work on improving those specific aspects. They're not just relaxing and playing whatever they feel like.