ESPN Builds Action Sport Brand
Looks To Establish Network Of Web Sites Supporting Alternative Sports Realm
By Multi Channel News Staff -- Multichannel News, 7/30/2008 11:25:00 AM
Looking to push past the X Games franchises and EXPN.com, ESPN is establishing a network of action sports sites.
With the rebranded ESPN Action Sports serving as the central hub, ESPN will group a number of interconnected sites dedicated to vertical sports within the genre. For instance, ESPN Skate will be complemented by such destinations as surfline.com, Vans.com and Active Ride Shop.
On the TV side, ESPNews will host five-minute segments, billed the "ESPN Action Sports Report," as the initiative takes shape this fall.
“ESPN Action Sports signifies an ongoing focus to bringing ESPN.com’s standard of excellence and comprehensive coverage to the action sports arena,” said Dave Finger, senior director, action sports, ESPN Digital Media, in a statement. “We have been building towards this vision for more than a year – piece by piece – and this marks a new starting point for the next stage in the evolution of what our digital media assets will deliver to athletes and enthusiasts around the globe.”
Over the past 12 months since ESPN began increasing its focus on this arena, traffic to action sports content has improved significantly, according to officials at the sports giant. Unique users were 37% and page views ahead 21% year-to-date, when compared with the same period last year.
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