DotaTV Beta Launches in Preparation for The International

With The International, Valve’s official Dota 2 championship tournament, just a couple of weeks away, Valve has launched the beta for DotaTV, a livestreaming service built into Steam, Valve’s digital distribution service.

DotaTV will have graphs, standings, and more that can be tracked right within the Steam client while you are watching the livestream for The International. If all of that sounds like information overload, Valve is bringing back the Newcomer Show, a once-a-day event tailor-made for people who are new to Dota 2 with live commentary designed for those that want to learn the basics of the game, let alone current metagame strategies or the names of competing players.

If using the Steam client to watch The International isn’t your thing, the tournament will also be broadcast live on YouTube Live and Twitch. DVR replays of previous matches or matches still in progress will also be available to those that can’t watch live.

This year’s International has a current prize pool of $17,046,751. The tournament will run August 3-8 at the KeyArena at Seattle Center. The International was first introduced with the first public showing of Dota 2 in 2011 at Gamescom in Cologne, Germany.