ESPN held their “New Front” presentation today with their ESPN F1RST branding. The worldwide leader in sports took the opportunity to talk about their digital offerings. The bulk of the conversation was around their new digital series for Twitter. They also discussed an upcoming digital show starring Katie Nolan as well as a new digital SportsCenter that will live within the recently relaunched ESPN app. Here is the slate of programs and initiatives which were discussed.
Always Late with Katie Nolan
- Weekly late night digital show coming soon
- Host Katie Nolan’s sharp, irreverent and authentic voice will be brought to the forefront, highlighting her take on the world of sports, pop culture and beyond
- Featuring reaction to and commentary on the week’s news, produced segments and interviews with athletes, celebrities and more
SportsCenter on the ESPN App
- Hosted by Scott Van Pelt and other SportsCenter anchors
- Video series will be a daily curation of the top things fans need to see, know and look for in sports
- Includes what fans missed last night, top plays and what to expect today, highlighting the array of content from across ESPN
- Will feature prominently on each fan’s Home screen every morning upon first opening the ESPN App each day
SportsCenter Live (On Twitter)
- A Twitter take on its flagship program and an extension of its popular @SportsCenter handle that reaches more than 35 million sports fans
- When news breaks, ESPN will bring fans robust and unparalleled coverage through video and the innovation of the Twitter Moments experience with @SCLive
- Blending insight, analysis, and reporting from a wide array of talent and reporters on the Twitter platform
Fantasy Focus Live (On Twitter)
- ESPN’s award-winning and most popular fantasy sports podcast will now also be live streamed daily on Twitter
- Each morning, fantasy experts Matthew Berry, Field Yates, Stephania Bell and Daniel Dopp will provide player previews, injury reports, game overviews and strategies, as well as featured guests and interviews, throughout the football season
- The show will take fan questions and opinions, and engage the Twitter audience using key football moments and social content
Hoop Streams (On Twitter)
- NBA Playoffs show featuring two of the most trusted and respected voices in basketball, David Jacoby and Ryen Russillo
- Together, they will provide a preview of each playoff, conference final and NBA Finals game prior to tip-off
- Real-time conversation with fans will be incorporated as they discuss the upcoming match-up
The College Football Show (On Twitter)
- ESPN’s new weekly college football show
- Delivering a recap of the best highlights of the day and a preview of the biggest game of the week on every college football Saturday throughout the season
- Fans will be able to interact with the show through Twitter
Rankings Reactions (On Twitter)
- Coming off its success last year, Rankings Reactions returns with Mike Golic, Jr. and Jason Fitz this upcoming college football season
- Each week, Mike and Jason will react to and discuss the latest College Football Playoff rankings from the moment they are first unveiled on October 30 through Selection Day on December 8
- Audience questions and insights will be brought in directly from Twitter to the forefront of the conversation
Shred Hate
- Launched by ESPN in January 2017 at X Games Aspen
- In the fall, MLB joined forces with X Games to reach even more students
- Program aimed at eliminating bullying and encouraging kids to choose kindness
- As part of the program, No Bully – a nonprofit that trains schools how to activate student compassion to eradicate bullying and cyberbullying – works directly with local school districts and cooperating schools through its innovative curriculum
- The program reaches over 25,000 students through 42 schools throughout the country
- When a school implements the program, over 90% of bullying instances were eliminated