Upfronts 2009: ESPNU, ESPN360.com Expand Distribution
College, Broadband Services To Lauch With Comcast; DirecTV Makes ESPNU More Widely Available
Mike Reynolds -- Multichannel News, 5/19/2009 5:19:00 PM
Complete Upfronts 2009 coverage from Multichannel News
New York -- ESPN held its upfront presentation to advertisers and distribution deals for its college network and broadband service broke out.
Executives at the total sports network told media buyers assembled at the Nokia Theater in Times Square that ESPNU would launch on Comcast's Digital Classic level of service in a majority of its cable systems by the upcoming college football season. Moreover, Comcast.net will make ESPN360.com available at no extra charge.
The additions plug two major holes in the comprehensive carriage agreement Comcast and Disney signed in November 2006.
Further, ESPN Media Networks has reached an accord with DirecTV to add the college serve to the DBS leader's DirecTV's Choice programming package, beginning on July 1. As part of the deal, terms of which were not disclosed, DirecTV will launch ESPNU HD by the end of the first quarter 2010 and ESPN Classic will be repositioned to the DirecTV Sports Pack.
With the moves, ESPNU will increase its sub base by some 21 million to around 46 million homes. John Skipper, ESPN executive vice president, content, said after the upfront, that figure could approach 50 million by fall via other rollouts. In addition, Skipper noted that ESPNU is working toward a collegiate-centric SportsCenter-type show that should debut during the upcoming school year. He didn't think the show would launch in 2009.
For its part, ESPN360.com will now be available to 41 million, about two-thirds of the nation's homes with broadband service.
On the programming side, ESPN talked up its 2010 FIFA World Cup coverage from South Africa, which will be backed by a huge marketing campaign. ESPN is attempting to have segments with all 47 of the men who have scored goals in the World Cup finals, a process Skipper said is underway, but could ultimately fall a tad short as some futbolers are seeking pay-for-say/play arrangements. In addition to covering all games in HD on TV, ESPN360.com will feature the matches in multiple languages.
ESPN also has reached an expanded digital rights agreement with the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club that will essentially double ESPN360.com's live broadband coverage from Wimbledon to 650 hours, take mobile streaming on ESPN Mobile TV to more than 80 hours, and add a slew of highlights on ESPN.com and ESPNDeportes.com.
When the Grand Slam tennis season swings by Flushing Meadow, ESPN will introduce LOVE30, a new feature that will enable fans to catch up on the last 30 minutes of U.S. Open action via highlights on ESPN.com and its mobile Web site.
As for ESPN Deportes, it will bring Jorge Ramos, who has served as the lead commentator for ESPN Deportes Radio for the past four years, to its TV roster in August, when the network begins simulcasting ESPN Deportes Radio's daily soccer program Jorge Ramos y su banda. Ramos had been on Fox Sports en Espanol's studio show Jorge Ramos en Vivo.
Ramos won't be the only making the jump from radio to TV: SportsCenter anchor Scott Van Pelt, who along with Steve Levy hosted the proceedings in the Nokia Theater, will have the final hour of his radio show simulcast on ESPN2 at 3 p.m. It will serve as a lead-in to the fan-interactive studio show SportsNation, which will be hosted by Colin Cowherd and Michelle Beadle. The show will incorporate emails, texts, phone calls and tweets from fans.
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Now all ESPN needs to do is rescue us hockey fans from the oblivion that is Versus, and all will be well
steven winkler - 5/20/2009 9:44:33 PM EDT
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