The Championship Gaming Series, which offers prize money in the region of £2.5 million to the best players, will be the first professional video games league to be broadcast in the UK later this year.

BSkyB will begin showing live qualifiers in August (Birmingham) and September (London), with the UK Championship in October and the International World Championship final due to take place in California in November.

All events, which are seen as the "Olympics" for the video game world, will be televised on Sky One and Sky Two using new technology which the broadcaster claims will "transmit the games with a greater degree of quality".

The series will be supported by on-air and online promotion, including updates via the Sky Games website.

"We know that many of our customers enjoy gaming so our involvement with the CGS is a natural fit with our entertainment business, and in particular our multi-platform Sky Games service,” said Mike Darcey, chief operating officer at BSkyB. “We look forward to bringing the excitement of the CGS into the homes of our customers, while also expanding our own gaming services."