ESPN

Eric Kallgren    Boulder Colorado USA

Posted at 12:14pm on Friday, May 22nd, 2009

ESPN will show short-form content on YouTube, the companies announced on April 10, 2009:

"Disney Media Networks’ Anne Sweeney is leading a charge to expand its online audience.

Looking to reach a wider audience with its sports content and other shows, Disney Media Networks has made an agreement with YouTube to launch multiple ad-supported channels featuring short-form content from Disney-owned ESPN and the ABC Television Group.

The agreement allows Disney to sell its own advertising inventory within the ESPN and ABC channels. The roll out is scheduled to begin in mid-April for ESPN and early May for the ABC Television Group channels, which will include ABC Entertainment, ABC News, ABC Family and SOAPnet.

The agreement allows both companies to share revenue from advertising shown along with short videos, such as sports highlights, show recaps and original Web series. However, the deal doesn’t include full-length sporting events or TV programs, which are increasingly popular online.

The ESPN video player will be integrated into ESPN’s channel on YouTube and will play a variety of sports content and highlights on the site."

The full story:
http://broadcastengineering.com/news/espn-show-short-form-content-youtube-0410/

Mondo Times editors    Boulder, Colorado USA

Posted at 3:44pm on Tuesday, December 16th, 2008

On December 15, 2008, the New York Times reported that ESPN is overhauling its web site:

"ESPN.COM is counting on less clutter and more advertising options to bolster revenue at a time when its sister cable channels are battling rare weakness.

ESPN, the Walt Disney Company’s sports media behemoth, is unveiling Tuesday a substantial redesign of its primary Web portal in a test form, with a formal introduction planned for Jan. 5.

About a year in the making, the overhaul represents at least one significant shift in strategy. Instead of inundating visitors with its intense coverage of every major sport from the get-go — something that the company now believes can drive away certain fans — ESPN.com is moving in a less-is-more direction, at least on the home page.

“If we are frustrating people, they’re not going to spend as much time as we want on the site,” said John Skipper, ESPN’s executive vice president for content. “There can be a thing as too much.”

ESPN.com, for instance, currently greets users with 36 links displayed in a block near the top of the home page. There are links for golf, racing, men’s basketball, college football, blogs, online games and podcasts, among other things. The redesign pares this list down to 19 links."