ESPN this week will debut a Snapchat-exclusive version of its flagship “SportsCenter,” deepening its involvement with the popular social media platform.
The Snapchat version of “SportsCenter” will run twice a day in two on-demand segments of three to five minutes each, marking the first daily sports show on Snapchat. A morning version will center on game highlights and results from the night before, while an early evening version will be more topically focused.
Hosts will include newly acquired personality Katie Nolan, “SportsCenter” anchor Elle Duncan, ESPN commentators and hosts Cassidy Hubbarth and Jason Fitz, and comedian Cy Amundson. The show will be produced at ESPN’s Bristol, Conn., headquarters and in New York.
“The basic idea is to take the DNA of ‘SportsCenter’ and apply it to this platform,” said Glenn Jacobs, ESPN senior coordinating producer of “SportsCenter” and news. “But it’s not going to be people in suits and ties sitting at a desk. It’s going to have its own unique feel that works for what Snapchat is.”
The creation of “SportsCenter” on Snapchat marks an extension of ESPN’s efforts on the Snapchat Discover product that began in 2015, and have generated more than 2 million unique viewers per day for its posts.
ESPN last year also brought a version of “College GameDay” to Snapchat Discover, as the media giant continues to seek out younger viewers and reach fans in emerging areas beyond television and its own website and mobile application. Snapchat, conversely, has actively sought to have more name-brand video programming and has worked with other publishers and programmers including Bleacher Report and MTV.
“We obviously want to have our brand well represented across all these different platforms, and Snapchat has a really engaged and active audience,” said Ryan Spoon, ESPN senior vice president of social content.
Both Snapchat and ESPN will be selling advertising inventory into the new version of “SportsCenter.”
