Televised professional gaming is a mundane facet of everyday life in Korea, but in the Western world it is almost unheard of, even on channels dedicated to gaming. That may soon change, however. Next Generation reports that former CBS Sports head Neal Pilson, who also does consulting for the Olympics, NASCAR, and the Arena Football League, is currently shopping around the MLG television rights to various networks.

Prize money for the competition is said to be $1 million. The 2005 championships for the league will be held this January in New York but the rights being sold seek to start with the 2006-2007 season that will start shortly afterward.

According to MLG CEO, Michael Sepso, the league has relationships with ESPN and MTV but only for one-off deals, not on-going programming.

Unlike most professional gaming, the MLG fosuses on console games such as Tekken 5, Halo 2, and Super Smash Bros. rather than PC games, but if this venture proves successful it may lead to more widespread coverage of competitive gaming. What do you think, would that be a positive step? I sure wouldn't mind being able to turn on the TV and catch the Starcraft finals.