ESPN's new ad campaign around its MLS coverage (see THE
DAILY, 6/7) is profiled by USA TODAY's Peter Brewington, who
writes that the net hopes the "clever" spots boost the
league's TV ratings and attract a "younger, hipper
audience." One of the spots has MLS players taking over
ESPN's headquarters and holding its anchors hostage. Galaxy
F Cobi Jones tells ESPN management: "We've got your anchors.
We want Saturdays and our own show. We're the No. 1 sport
in the world and we deserve to be seen." While Brewington
writes that the promos "are funny and self-deprecating," he
notes that "U.S. soccer is a long way from making a dent in
the world of American televised sports." As part of its new
effort to "kick up" MLS ratings, ESPN has committed a "chunk
of time on Saturdays for soccer, a pledge never made before
in a consistent fashion." But so far, ratings for the
league continue to "limp along," as they "remain a
miserable" 0.25 on ESPN2 after eight games. ESPN
VP/Programming Steve Risser: "We try not to spend a
significant amount of time talking about the rating. The
games are promotable. The jury is still out the rest of the
year." One reason ESPN likes having the FIFA-sponsored MLS
is that it hopes to get U.S. TV rights to the 2002 and 2006
World Cups, which it televised in '98 (USA TODAY, 6/13).
