Menu
Download the app

SBJ subscribers – Enhance your experience with the revamped iOS app

Media

ESPN's Marie Donoghue Shares Net's Vision For Soon-To-Launch The Undefeated

ESPN Exec VP/Global Strategy & Original Content Marie Donoghue is "one of the most powerful behind the scenes figures" at the net, as she is a top business exec for FiveThirtyEight, ESPN Films as well as ESPN's upcoming site on sports and race, The Undefeated, according to a Q&A with Richard Deitsch of SI.com. Donoghue said The Undefeated, set to launch on May 17, "provides new entry points for potentially previously untapped audiences and experiences with ESPN" and "broadens our audience." Below are excerpts from the Q&A:

Q: Why do you believe The Undefeated can be a long-term success?
Donoghue: On a personal level it is an opportunity with its focus on sports, race and culture to create a platform for the next generation of journalists from diverse backgrounds.

Q: Management has said in the past that they were committed to previous sites such as Grantland and then that site was folded. What makes you self-assured that the commitment here is truly for the long-term?
Donoghue: We are committed and we were committed to those previous sites. Some things are not in our control. But I can only tell you what I believe and what I have been told which is this is a top priority at our company. I can tell you on a personal level that it is a top priority to me.

Q: What is the television plan for The Undefeated talent?
Donoghue: You have already seen a few on 'SportsCenter' and (writer) Kelly Carter was on 'His and Hers.' (Writer) Jesse Washington made his TV debut on his Charles Barkley story. We absolutely expect them on different shows, and we will be launching some podcasts. We will have a small studio in Washington D.C., where many of the staffers are based.

Q: How should the public and potential audience look at the delay it took for this brand to launch?
Donoghue: Startups are hard and take many twists and turns. But I would also tell you part of that was my doing. ... I thought the most important thing that I could do was to be deliberate and get the right people. I felt a really strong commitment to the original team that was there. ... They were hired by (Former ESPN staffer and current Fox Sports personality Jason Whitlock) and are really committed to the project and remain committed to the project.

Q: Are there internal traffic metrics or numbers that have been set for The Undefeated?
Donoghue: No. I met with the staff a couple of weeks ago and that they asked me that question and I said no. (The Undefeated Editor-in-Chief Kevin Merida) has goals, similar to (538 Editor-in-Chief) Nate Silver and how (HBO's Bill Simmons) was. These guys are competitive. I think relevance is a metric of success. But we are not as focused on the traffic. It is much more relevant to me what the relevance and additive nature they bring to our other platforms (SI.com, 4/27).

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 25, 2024

NFL meeting preview; MLB's opening week ad effort and remembering Peter Angelos.

Big Get Jay Wright, March Madness is upon us and ESPN locks up CFP

On this week’s pod, our Big Get is CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jay Wright. The NCAA Championship-winning coach shares his insight with SBJ’s Austin Karp on key hoops issues and why being well dressed is an important part of his success. Also on the show, Poynter Institute senior writer Tom Jones shares who he has up and who is down in sports media. Later, SBJ’s Ben Portnoy talks the latest on ESPN’s CFP extension and who CBS, TNT Sports and ESPN need to make deep runs in the men’s and women's NCAA basketball tournaments.

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

Shareable URL copied to clipboard!

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2016/04/29/Media/Undefeated-QA.aspx

Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2016/04/29/Media/Undefeated-QA.aspx

CLOSE