ESPN: The Worldwide Leader in Sports and Digital Convergence

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ESPN The Worldwide Leader in Sports and
Digital Convergence

• By Ryan OLeary

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What is digital convergence?

• The process by which separate media become
  digital and join to be delivered via the global
  network is known as digital convergence. 
• Text, graphics, sound, and video converge into a
  common digital format at ESPN.
• Media can now be created, manipulated, processed,
  and managed easily centrally within the ESPN
  network.

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Background
Reporting News vs. Highlights
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Find the Niche Find the Technology

• ESPN finds new, appealing ways to entertain and
  inform its audience
• ESPN.com
• ESPN HD
• ESPN Mobile
• ESPN PodCenter
• ESPN Deportes
• ESPN Radio
• ESPNs X-Games

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ESPN Interactive

• Web 2.0, a term used to describe online
  interactivity and collaboration between users, is
  responsible for ESPN.com and ESPN360.com's
  success. Users who access ESPN360.com discover a
  24-hour broadband network that offers live feeds
  to sporting events around the globe.
• ESPN breaks from the traditional, objective news
  seen on SportsCenter and goes for a more
  conversational, opinionative style online.

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ESPN Worldwide Success

• ESPN has grown to include ownership in whole or
  in part of 29 television networks outside of
  the United States, as well as a variety of brand
  extension businesses, which allow ESPN to reach
  fans in 194 countries and territories.

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Television

• 29 networks serving 194 countries and territories
  across all seven continents in 12 languages
• ESPN syndicates a diverse library containing over
  130 events, with broadcast partners in 200
  countries

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No Telecast, No Problem

• ESPN offers live GameCasts and up-to-the-minute
  sports news
• Clips and highlights are featured on the ESPN
  homepage and
• ESPN360 offers live coverage and sports taped in
  foreign countries via ESPNs international
  networks

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Radio

• ESPN broadcasts in 13 countries and offers a
  combination of live events, sports news and
  information, and sports talk.

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Internet

• ESPNsoccernet.com (worldwide)
• ESPNdeportes.com (Latin America and US Hispanic)
• ESPNSTAR.com.cn (China)
• ESPN.com.br (Brazil)
• ESPNSTAR.com.tw (Taiwan)
• TSN.ca (Canada)
• ESPNClassicSport.com (Europe)

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Mobile

• ESPN International delivers mobile content across
  carrier in Latin America, Canada, UK,
  Australia/New Zealand and Japan, including
  wallpapers and ringtones, downloadable
  applications, wireless internet, and mobile video
  products featuring sports news, information, and
  entertainment.

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A Moment with the University of Oregons Whitney
Wagoner

• Since 2003, Wagoner has instructed sports
  business at the University of Oregon and enjoys
  teaching sports marketing and sports sponsorship.
  After graduation from the U of O in 1996, she
  spent seven years in a variety of marketing
  positions with the NFL, and was responsible for
  the management of several key sponsorship
  programs including Motorola, IBM and Sony. She
  earned an M.B.A. in marketing and economics from
  the Stern School of Business at New York
  University and decided it was time to return to
  Eugene.
• Wagoner recently visited ESPN executives in New
  York with U of O students and conversed
  with them about pertinent issues and trends
  within the industry.

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ESPN is Not Untouchable

• League sites dominate ESPN.com while their sport
  is in season
• I.e. NFL.com, MLB.com, NBA.com
• Yahoo fantasy sports has a higher number of users

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Emergence of other Sports Channels

• After 35 years on ABC, ESPN takes over Monday
  Night Football in 2006
• In 2006, the NFL Network steals 8 games from ESPN
  and provides in-depth NFL content. Current
  content features the NFL combine, draft and other
  analysis
• ESPN looks to create its own content like the
  X-games, create events, and buy events. i.e.
  College GameDay / ESPN on ABC

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Live Rights over Highlights

• Cover a few games vs. show highlights of many
  games
• What is it people want to see?
• Benefits of highlights dont need to purchase
  the rights to televise games
• Disadvantages ESPN does not gain the recognition
  as the network responsible for the telecast

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ESPN is Inconsistent and it Should Be

• ESPN on TV is conservative.
• ESPN.com is laid back, gossipy and informal
• Its important that we look different in all
  media because the customer segmentation is
  different and we need to accept that.
• As the sole sports news network, ESPN has
  ultimate control over the industry and can
  manipulate their messages to be more consistent,
  but choose to speak to different audiences with
  different messages respectively.

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Which Sports are Important?What do people want
to watch?

• Television
• Decide what is sports news
• Balance the amount and kinds of sports that
  people want to watch
• Internet
• ESPNs internet presence provides a source of
  diverse news coverage, content and community.

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Future of ESPN

• L.A. Live in 2009 across from Staples Center
• Two HD studios
• Radio studio
• Production, control, editing, screening, newsroom
  space
• ESPN Zone

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Synopsis

• ESPN is often successful in its efforts toward
  digital convergence, and despite a struggle
  gaining a mobile presence, ESPN continues to grow
  and excel because it locates new, effective media
  tools and technology effectively. The media ESPN
  uses to present its content are diverse and
  available. Acting alone as the leader in sports
  media, ESPN has established itself as a
  recognizable and consistent producer and sponsor
  of sports and entertainment.
• ESPN is a leader because they provide fair, and
  balanced news across the globe. ESPNs growth is
  a direct result of its success as a pioneer with
  new media. (i.e.) Satellite markets, online
  polls, HD-TV, Monday Night Football, X-Games,
  blogs, podcasts, etc.

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Sources

• Primary Sources
• 1) Lemke, Tim "'Worldwide Leader in Soorts'
  Expands its Web ESPN Constantly Absorbing
  Independant Sites, Writers." The WashingtonTimes
  11 April 2007
• 2) ESPN.com
• 3) Stilson, Janet "A-List Profile ESPN the
  Magazine Irrevernce Snags Fans." Advertising Age
  20 Oct. 2003
• 4) ESPN to Launch HD Service in Australia. All
  American Patriots 30 Jan. 2008.
• 5) Perez-Pena, Richard "The Top Player in this
  League? It May Be the Sports Reporter." The New
  York Times 24 Dec. 2007
• 6) Slavens, Roger "No. 3 ESPN SportsCenter Cable
  TV Giant Moves into Wireless World with Mobile
  ESPN, Enabling Advertisers to Reach Sports-loving
  Executives 24/7." BtoB 8 May 2006
• 7) Shapiro, Leonard "'Monday Night Football'
  Changes the Channel After 35 Years on ABC, ESPN
  Will Take Over Beginning in 2006." The Washington
  Post 19 April 2005
• 8) Stilson, Janet Wide-Ranging Deals Help ESPN
  Score With Marketers. Advertising Age 12 Mar
  2007
• Secondary Sources
• 1) Freeman, Michael. ESPN The Uncensored
  History. Dallas TX Taylor Publishing Co., 2000.
• 2) Yoffie, David B.. Competing in the Age of
  Digital Convergence. Boston MA Harvard Business
  School Press, 1997.