ESPN on Friday debuted a new edition of "SportsCenter" exclusively for the ESPN app, and while putting a "condensed version of its flagship news show on its free app every day may look like a simple and obvious progression for ESPN," behind the scenes, the effort has "been part of a major undertaking," according to Daniel Roberts of YAHOO FINANCE. ESPN has rolled out "three new mobile-first, social-friendly" iterations for "SportsCenter" on Snapchat, Twitter and now for the ESPN app. The host is Scott Van Pelt, who "shoots the app edition of the show immediately after hosting the live SportsCenter at midnight." That time slot has "seen enormous recent success" in ratings. "SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt" will go up every day by 7:00am ET in the "top spot on the ESPN app." ESPN last year also "launched 'SportsCenter Right Now,'" which is comprised of "ultra-brief news updates that air on cable and radio inside existing ABC and ESPN programming." All four were "launched in the past nine months and have involved new hires, new hosts, and new thinking for ESPN." Each new format will help "constitute the next era of the SportsCenter brand," as ESPN is "striving to bring more people into the SportsCenter fold." ESPN said that the Snapchat show is "getting 3 million viewers per day" and that 75% of viewers are "under the age of 25." Van Pelt: “All of us are just trying to figure out the place where people want our content, whether it’s a meal or a bite. If SportsCenter ultimately becomes this thing where people find us on an app for two minutes at a time, well, all right” (FINANCE.YAHOO.com, 6/2).
TOP OF THE LINE: In Omaha, Tony Boone notes boxers Terrence Crawford and Jeff Horn will face each other Saturday "exclusively on ESPN+." The fight was one ESPN was "specifically interested in for its new streaming platform." Top Rank Chair Bob Arum said, "Most of our fights are on the ESPN (linear) network. But ESPN knows that the future is direct-to-consumer, which is the ESPN+ app. They were looking for the best possible attraction to put on ESPN+ because, in effect, they’ve just recently been launching it. And that was the fight they wanted." Boone notes Top Rank and ESPN have "seen success in the partnership" not even a year "into their deal." Top Rank President Todd duBoef: "It has been hugely, hugely successful from getting attention to rating well to all of the fans that we’ve been able to get, and also putting on terrific fights that have given these kids a lot of awareness.” Boone notes ESPN has not only "carried live bouts, but it has also featured boxing throughout its other programming" (OMAHA WORLD-HERALD, 6/4).
