BlizzCon 2008 and DirectTV Partner Up to Broadcast Event via Pay-Per-View

DirectTV and Blizzard have reached a deal to televise BlizzCon via pay-per-view during the event, which will take place at the Anaheim Convention Center in California on October 10 and 11.

The pay-per-view event will run a minimum of eight hours that will be chock full of demos and interviews in high-def. I amsure you will see plenty of people dressed in their favorite Blizzard game attire as well – cosplay for Diablo should be pretty funny now that I think about it.

DirectTV will be running a promotion to offer BlizzCon free to new susbscribers as well, and to make this post sound more official, here are some happy and complimentary quotes regarding the event pulled from the press release:

“BlizzCon is one of the most highly anticipated gaming conventions of the year, and we are excited to partner with Blizzard Entertainment to deliver coverage of the show to gamers nationwide,” commented Steven Roberts, senior vice president of new media and business development at DIRECTV.

“With our BlizzCon pay per view package, members of Blizzard’s gaming communities who are not attending the event can now experience it in crystal-clear HD.”

“Meeting and interacting with our players at BlizzCon is always a great experience for us,” stated Mike Morhaime, CEO and co-founder of Blizzard Entertainment.

“We’re also pleased to be working with DIRECTV this year to bring the show, for the first time, to those players who are unable to attend.”

Cost of the pay-per-view programme and whatnot were not mentioned in the press release so check back with us or keep checking with DirectTV if you have the service.

Also, if you live in the Anaheim area, or just want to go to BlizzCon, tickets go on sale August 11th.

Full press release after the jump.

RVINE, Calif. – July 29, 2008 – Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. today announced that tickets for its third BlizzCon^™ gaming convention will go on sale August 11 and that live coverage of the event will be available as an exclusive DIRECTV pay per view event. BlizzCon is a celebration of the global player communities surrounding Blizzard Entertainment^®’s Warcraft^®, Diablo^®, and StarCraft^® game universes. The event will take place at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California on October 10 and 11.

“Meeting and interacting with our players at BlizzCon is always a great experience for us,” stated Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “We’re also pleased to be working with DIRECTV this year to bring the show, for the first time, to those players who are unable to attend.”

In addition to serving as a gathering place for the different Blizzard Entertainment gaming communities, BlizzCon will offer an array of activities, including discussion panels, hands-on playtime with upcoming games, tournaments, contests, and more. Tickets to the convention will be priced at $100 USD each, and will be available for purchase directly from the official BlizzCon website at www.blizzcon.com.

The pay per view event will deliver a minimum of eight hours of live HD coverage from the show floor on each day of the convention, including exclusive interviews, demos, and more. Beginning in August, DIRECTV will run a promotion offering the BlizzCon pay per view event free to new DIRECTV subscribers. Pricing for existing DIRECTV customers and programming details will be available in the coming weeks from Blizzard Entertainment and DIRECTV.

“BlizzCon is one of the most highly anticipated gaming conventions of the year, and we are excited to partner with Blizzard Entertainment to deliver coverage of the show to gamers nationwide,” said Steven Roberts, senior vice president, new media and business development, DIRECTV. “With our BlizzCon pay per view package, members of Blizzard’s gaming communities who are not attending the event can now experience it in crystal-clear HD.”

As the event draws closer, further details will be announced at www.blizzcon.com.