ESPN's "SportsCenter" is one of the "longest running and most recognizable TV institutions," but it "isn't immune to the rapid changes in the TV marketplace, in which more viewers -- especially younger ones -- are going online for video content," according to Stephen Battaglio of the L.A. TIMES. Shifting habits have "prompted ESPN to start reinventing its signature show," specifically its new midnight edition "built around the quirky personality of Scott Van Pelt." Van Pelt's solo-hosted version launched in September and has lifted ESPN's audience numbers in that hour by 4% "to an average of 744,000 viewers." Van Pelt "regularly injects emotion and personal passion to his commentary, called '1 Big Thing.'" Viewers are also "exposed to Van Pelt's self-deprecating humor." Meanwhile, ESPN last month "set its sights on the early morning hours." It replaced repeats of the 1:00am ET “SportsCenter” from L.A. with a live program, “SportsCenter: A.M.,” that uses a "four-anchor format evocative of 'Today' and 'Good Morning America.'” Keeping “SportsCenter” relevant is "necessary to maintain ESPN's profitability while the cost of sports rights fees continues to rise." The company does not "break out ad revenue." But a source said that the “SportsCenter” ad sales total for '15 "exceeded the 2014 figure" of $707M estimated by Kantar Media. ESPN "produces 6,700 hours of 'SportsCenter' a year." ESPN Senior VP/SportsCenter & News Rob King said that he "attacked late night first ... because the departures of long-running hosts David Letterman and Jon Stewart meant their fans might be searching for something new." King: "It led us to think the viewers available after the 11 o'clock 'SportsCenter' are making the decision on who they want to hang out with" (L.A. TIMES, 3/8).
