More e-sports coming to ESPN2

ESPN2 plans to broadcast the final stages of a collegiate video game tournament for the second straight year, a symbolic endorsement of increasing interest in e-sports events.

The announcement came Thursday from video game developer Blizzard Entertainment, whose five-on-five online war game “Heroes of the Storm” will be used for the aptly named Heroes of the Dorm competition.

College students in the U.S. and Canada began vying Thursday for a spot in the 64-team bracket. Teams from more than 460 schools entered last year; the University of California, Berkeley, captured the title.

Blizzard’s parent company, Activision Blizzard Inc., is among the many gaming companies excited about the potential to collect big fees from broadcasters for the right to air video game matches. But it’s still uncertain whether cable networks can attract an audience big enough to justify the expense.

Yahoo pulls out of 2 countries

While some Yahoo investors want to say goodbye to Chief Executive Marissa Mayer, Yahoo itself is saying, “Hasta la vista” to Mexico and Argentina.

The troubled Internet search and media company said Thursday it would close what a spokeswoman called “small, sales-focused offices” in Mexico City and Buenos Aires, abandoning the two Latin American markets ahead of a closely watched fourth-quarter earnings report next week.

“These markets were marginal at best and was not worth future investment for them,” said Tim Bajarin, president of tech research firm Creative Strategies. “They’re most likely now going to only invest in potential growth countries in the foreseeable future.”

— From wire reports