Fox Sports’ MSN Web Site Bests ESPN.com For First Time

FoxSports.com Bests ESPN.com In Monthly Unique Visitors For First Time

FoxSports.com in February finished with “more unique visitors in a month than [ESPN.com] for the first time,” according to Nielsen//NetRatings research cited by Alex Woodson of the HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. For February, ESPN.com had about 13.2 million unique visitors, down more than 3 million from January. FoxSports.com, which has had a partnership with MSN since ’04, “saw an increase of about 13,000 compared with January to finish with 15.2 million visitors for the month.” ESPN declined comment on the numbers but noted its site “is averaging ahead of the other sites for the last 12-month and six-month cycle.” According to comScore Media Metrix, ESPN.com was ahead of FoxSports.com last month with 15.2 million unique visitors compared to 14.7 million (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 3/19).

CHANGE AT THE TOP: John Papanek, who joined ESPN in '98 as the Founding Editor of ESPN The Magazine and has served as Editor-In-Chief at ESPN.com since '04, is taking on a new role at the company, as Editor at Large, New Media. An ESPN spokesperson said the move was "in line with his interest to take on a more direct content role," and that he will focus on several new projects in development, including ESPN.com, ESPN360.com and ESPN Mobile, as well as ESPN's int'l sites. There is no timetable to find a new Editor-In-Chief at ESPN.com. VP & Exec Editor for Site Programming & Features Kevin Jackson and VP & Exec Editor for Sports, News & Information Patrick Stiegman become the interim Editors-in-Chief of ESPN.com, effective immediately. Both will report to ESPN New Media Senior VP & GM John Kosner. The blog, The Big Lead, first reported the story of Papanek's move (THE DAILY).

NBCSPORTS.COM: In this week’s SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, John Ourand reports NBCSports.com, which launched about six months ago, is “switching its focus to rely more on broadband content than original material.” The move “resulted in fewer than 10 layoffs at the new division and comes as NBCSports.com signed a cross-promotional partnership with SI.com.” NBC Sports and Olympics Senior VP/Digital Media Perkins Miller said, “Our feedback was that people wanted us to focus on what we do well. They didn’t want us to give them something they could get somewhere else.” Ourand notes the move “leaves NBC to focus much of its online product on sports featured on the network,” such as the NFL, Notre Dame football, the NHL, PGA Tour and the Olympics (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 3/19 issue).