ESPN Addresses Changing Media In Upfront Pitch, Announces Schedule Changes

ESPN officials during their annual upfront presentation spent a lot of time "focused on the intricacies of the business, like ad sales, multi platform distribution and audience measurement," according to Brian Steinberg of VARIETY. The net has been the "subject of much scrutiny in recent months owing to reports of cost controls, layoffs and subscriber declines." An opening segment that "featured a New Orleans funeral march" prompted at least one person "to ask if ESPN was making fun of itself." However, the "ersatz funeral was meant to be light-hearted and poke fun at the confusing state of advertising these days." Celebs like Serena Williams and singer Kelly Rowland joined "dozens of the network’s on-air personalities" on stage during the event. "SportsCenter" anchor Kenny Mayne at one point was "lowered to the floor ... dressed in an angel’s robe and in wings" calling himself the "Angel of Advertising” (VARIETY.com, 5/16). BUSINESS INSIDER's Mike Shields notes Mayne "made a crack about social media metrics being made up," which came after a "musical group sang about hoping for numbers they can trust" (BUSINESSINSIDER.com, 5/16).

FIRST THINGS FIRST: The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER's Marisa Guthrie reports ESPN President John Skipper immediately "addressed the elephant in the room" -- the recent layoffs of 100 reporters and on-air personalities. He said, “Let me be up front at this upfront: ESPN is responding to change, and we are making changes from the most dramatic position of strength." Guthrie notes ESPN is "still an enormous profit driver for parent Disney," and Skipper "stressed that live sports is still core to the ESPN brand." He indicated that ESPN’s primetime programming is "up double digits in the first quarter, and that the network’s digital products reach 100 million people a month." The network yesterday re-signed several "popular personalities" and announced plans to "roll out a new multi-platform initiative" called "SportsCenter Right Now." Skipper said that the net’s personalities "remain an integral part of the ESPN brand proposition." Skipper: “Fans understand the distinction between just getting a score and getting it from a personality with a distinctive point of view. In the end, high-quality content matters, live matters and, of course brand matters" (HOLLYWOODREPORTER.com, 5/16). SI.com's Richard Deitsch noted Skipper did not take questions from the media today, "something he's done at every upfront I've ever attended." CNN's Frank Pallotta: "To give you an idea of how rare this is, Skipper even took questions at the ESPN Upfront just *days* after Bill Simmons was let go." Newsday's Neil Best: "That is not gonna be a good look" (TWITTER.com, 5/16).

WHAT'S NEW: ESPN formally announced that Mike Greenberg's new weekday morning show will premiere on Jan. 1 and originate from N.Y. The show will air live from 7:00-10:00am ET on ESPN and re-air at 10:00am on ESPN2. Greenberg will be joined by several full-time co-hosts and a rotation of various guests. This means the long-running ESPN Radio show "Mike & Mike" will conclude its 18-year run in December, though Mike Golic will remain in the 6:00-10:00am window. He will be joined on a permanent basis by Trey Wingo as co-host. The unnamed show initially will be simulcast on ESPN2 before moving to ESPNU. Both Golic and Wingo have signed new multiyear contracts with ESPN. Mike Golic Jr. will appear on the show every day from 6:00-7:00am. Meanwhile, Bomani Jones and Pablo Torre will partner on a new hour-long show on ESPN beginning Jan. 2 at 12:00pm. Torre also has signed an extension; Jones re-upped with the net in December (THE DAILY). In Philadelphia, Rob Tornoe writes The Greenberg-Golic breakup has been the "worst kept secret in sports media." Greenberg’s show will "offer stiff competition" to FS1, which "announced last week it was launching its own morning show." FS1 will get a "bit of a head start on ESPN, with its morning show scheduled to debut" on Sept. 5. Tornoe notes Jones will "have his plate full at the network." In addition to making "many appearances on a variety of ESPN shows, he will also continue" to host "The Right Time" every afternoon on ESPN Radio. He will "give up his co-hosting duties" on "Highly Questionable" at the end of June (PHILLY.com, 5/16).

CHANGE IS GOOD: SBJ/SBD's John Ourand and Abe Madkour took time to discuss the news and changes coming out of ESPN's Upfront today, as well as notes on Fox' upfront yesterday.

TWITTER REAX: Author James Andrew Miller: "3 headlines from 2017 #Espnupfront 1. 'We are recalibrating our approach.' 2. @SportsCenter will be saved.' 3. #ESPNLayoffs didn't hurt us.' ... The great Wright Thompson takes stage on @espn commitment to journalism. Examples aplenty, but again, push back on #ESPNLayoffs." Awful Announcing's Ken Fang: "Either the wifi is not working at the ESPN Upfront or there isn't much news. Yesterday, news from Fox and NBC upfronts was flying."

KNEADING THE NUMBERS: VARIETY's Brian Steinberg reports ESPN is "ready to do ad deals based on a new metric that tabulates live viewers no matter what screen they may be using" to view content. Mapping out live viewers is of "critical importance to TV networks." The company will be "ready to sell a measure of total live audience, which will include live-streaming of ESPN and ESPN2 programming as well as so-called 'out of home' viewership, both measured by Nielsen." ESPN will "roll live-streaming viewers into its ratings, while out of home audience -- people who might watch the company’s sports content at a hotel, bar, restaurant or elsewhere -- will be added to viewership for clients that choose to use that measure." Starting Oct. 1, the live-streaming numbers will also "include viewers who watch ESPN or ESPN2 programming with the same 'ad load' as a traditional TV broadcast." ESPN stands to see a "significant lift in viewership." The company said that live-streaming and out-of-home viewing facilitated through cable and satellite providers "goosed its overall first-quarter audience by 12%, and its viewers between 18 and 34 by 18%." The statistics do "not include viewing done through the company’s mobile Watch ESPN app" (VARIETY.com, 5/16).