True Believers: ESPN Acquires Rights To Popular NBA Blog

ESPN Adds NBA Blog To Portfolio Of Online Offerings

ESPN has acquired the rights to NBA blog TrueHoop.com, and the site’s founder, Henry Abbott, will join ESPN.com as an NBA writer. Abbott will also contribute to ESPN podcasts and will be available for ESPN Radio and TV programming. ESPN TrueHoop will launch on ESPN.com later this month (ESPN). Abbott wrote on the blog, “From your perspective as a reader, I don’t think it will mean all that much. The writing, and the way TrueHoop is created will not change. I’ll be reading and linking to the same newspapers, blogs, magazines, and websites every day.” The site will remain free and will not be part of ESPN.com’s Insider program (TRUEHOOP.com, 2/13).

RADIO: ESPN.com and ESPN Radio announced the launch of a network of local ESPN-affiliated radio stations’ Web sites that will integrate them with ESPNRadio.com. The network will initially include sites for ESPN Radio affiliates in N.Y., Chicago, L.A., Dallas and Pittsburgh, with more sites to be added. Each local site will include live feeds from the local affil and ESPNRadio.com, as well as access to ESPN podcasts and ESPN Radio Insider (ESPN).

NICE VIEW: ESPN.com totaled more than 82 million page views during the weekend of Super Bowl XLI, up 37% from Super Bowl XL weekend in ’06. The site garnered almost 40 million page views on February 4, up 72% from the day of Super Bowl XL. Meanwhile, the site drew over 11 million page views for National Signing Day on February 7 and generated over 250,000 views of Signing Day-related videos (ESPN).

TALKING SHOP: Golfsmith.com has become the official golf and tennis pro shop of ESPN.com, marking the first store for golf and tennis equipment, apparel and accessories on ESPN’s site. Each golf and tennis page on ESPN.com will include a promo and link to Golfsmith.com (Golfsmith.com).