Mario Kart 8 Getting One-Off Competitive Gaming TV Show

A Mario Kart-themed TV show will air later this week, Nintendo has announced. The one-off program, called Clash of Karts: Mario Kart 8, will be broadcast on Disney XD, on December 5 at 8 PM local time.

Clash of Karts will see eight of "America's best young gamers" team up with YouTube personalities like Strawburry 17, Andre, AtomicMari, and SethBling in a Mario Kart 8 competition in front of a live audience. The show is an hour long and the participants will play multiple rounds of the popular racing game.

This isn't Disney XD's first partnership with Nintendo. In October, the network aired an hour-long special from the Nintendo World Championships competitive gaming event that took place in June at E3.

Disney XD senior vice president Marc Buhaj said in an interview with Fortune that this program proved popular and encouraged the network to move forward with other esports content. Mario Kart 8 was chosen because of its wide appeal and how it does not take itself too seriously.

"Esports is something that's blossoming, but it's still early days," Buhaj said. "How it'll be covered for the kids' audience is still something that remains to be seen."

With 5.87 million units sold (as of September 30), Mario Kart 8 is the best-selling Wii U game to date.

Disney XD's other video game-themed shows include The Gamer's Guide to Almost Everything (which was recently renewed for a second season), as well as a program called Gaming Show (In My Parents' Garage).

It's not just Disney that's investing in esports content. Another big-name network involved in the space is TBS, which recently announced that it formed a gaming league and will air weekly Counter-Strike matches. Sports media behemoth ESPN is also continuing its push into the gaming scene by hiring a gaming reporter.