May 15, 2012 – BEST BUY THEATER, TIMES SQUARE
PLEASE NOTE: EXECUTIVES WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEWS AFTER THE EVENT IN THE STAGE AREA
All press materials are available at ESPNmediazone.com
Twitter: #ESPNUpfront WIFI ACCESS: ESPNUPFRONT
HOSTED BY Sage Steele, SportsCenter anchor and Mike Greenberg, co-host, Mike & Mike in the Morning
PARTICIPANTS (in order of appearance)
John Skipper, Co-Chairman Disney and ESPN Media Networks and President, ESPN
Jon Gruden, Monday Night Football Analyst
Mike Tirico, Play-by-Play Commentator, Monday Night Football; Studio and ESPN Radio Host
Lisa Salters, Monday Night Football Reporter, E:60 Correspondent
Ray Lewis, Linebacker, Baltimore Ravens
Justin Tuck, Defensive End, New York Giants
Eric Johnson, EVP, Multimedia Sales
Kirk Herbstreit, College Football Analyst
Erin Andrews, Sideline Reporter and College GameDay Anchor
Rece Davis, College Basketball and Football Studio Host and SportsCenter Anchor/Reporter
Jay Bilas, College Basketball Analyst
Carl Edwards, NASCAR Driver
Kenny Mayne, Host, “The Mayne Event” on Sunday NFL Countdown and Kenny Mayne’s Wider World of Sports
Trey Wingo, NFL Live and NFL Primetime Host
Sean Bratches, EVP, Sales and Marketing
Stephen A. Smith, ESPN First Take Featured Commentator and Co-Host of ESPN Radio’s Stephen A. Smith and Ryan Ruocco Show
Skip Bayless, ESPN First Take Featured Commentator
Tyson Chandler, Center, New York Knicks
Rob Riggle, Comedian, ESPYs Host
Bill Simmons, Editor-in-chief, Grantland.com
Ed Erhardt, President, Global Customer Marketing and Sales
GUESTS
Brutus Buckeye and The Ohio State Marching Band, a.k.a. The Best Damn Band in the Land
Mr. Met
The Florida Gator – Albert E. Gator
Herbie Husker
KC Wolf
ANNOUNCEMENTS and PROGRAMMING HIGHLIGHTS
Return of 30 for 30 Film Series – See full release for further details
- ESPN Films will once again partner with a wide array of filmmakers to tell incredible stories that capture the core of how sports inspire and entertain.
- Premieres in October.
- ESPN Films broadening scope to include 30 for 30 Shorts – a 30-part digital short film series
- 30 for 30 Shorts will be similar to the feature length films in that each piece will represent a specific point of view of the filmmaker and will be a reflection of how they blend the narrative with their own visual style.
- Beginning in September, a new short film will debut monthly on Bill Simmons’ Grantland.com.
- Short entitled “Here,Now” about Pete Rose is now online as preview of the series.
- Previews of the 30 for 30 Vol. II trailer and the 30 for 30 Short “Here Now” can be viewed at ESPN.com/30for30.
Twitter – See full release for further details
- ESPN and Twitter begin strategic, multi-year collaboration that will offer fans and advertisers unique, interactive programs around major sporting events, beginning with the upcoming NBA Finals.
- Effort will be promoted across Twitter, ESPN networks, ABC and ESPN’s broad array of digital assets, including ESPN.com and ESPN Mobile.
- Each program will be co-created by ESPN and Twitter, beginning with GameFace the first effort, which will be focused on the NBA Finals.
Grantland
- New YouTube Channel
- All new original and exclusive video content featuring Bill Simmons and Grantland contributors
- Launching this Summer
- Podcast Network
- A diverse mix of podcast content on current events in both culture and sports from Jalen Rose, Michael Davies, Roger Bennett, Basketball Jones and more from Grantland’s most popular writers
- Average episode generates 150,000 downloads
- Launched last Fall, with two separate channels for sports and pop culture to debut later this year
- Live Twitter Feeds
- @GrantlandLive live tweets during Sunday ABC telecasts of NBA games allows fans to “watch a game” with Bill Simmons and other Grantland contributors
- Sponsored tweets at the beginning and end of each session with logo integration and Twitter avatar
- Short Films (see 30 for 30 section)
New ESPN Radio App – See full release for further details
- New app optimized for both iPhone and – for the first time – iPad devices
- Free download includes podcasts, SportsCenter updates every 20 minutes, download on-demand audio content to listen offline
- Full version for $4.99 includes access to live audio content, including the ability for fans to build their own sports stations and rewind live audio streams
- Launched today on iOS devices, later this summer for Android and Windows 7 smartphones
ESPN Deportes – See full release for further details
- ESPN Deportes+ por ESPN3: New ESPN Deportes vertical on ESPN3 slated to offer the most comprehensive offering of live sports in Spanish-language on a network available across computers, smartphones, tablets and Xbox
- More Soccer: World Cup qualifying matches, international friendlies and Brazilian tournaments
- Redes #ESPN: new primetime show focused on current sports topics and conversations trending in the social media space.
- Original Series: El Bar and Capitales del Futbol
NFL – ESPN Primetime Payoff
- Pick’em game based on the events of Monday Night Football (MNF)
- Participants gather points throughout the season based on correct picks
- Points will transfer to the overall grand prize random drawing of $1 million as entries (ex. If a player makes 50 correct picks throughout the season they will earn 50 entries into the drawing)
- Overall highest scoring player in the game will receive a check for $50,000
- Social media integrations include message boards and submitting halftime questions for consideration via Twitter hashtag #primetimepayoff
espnW
- ESPN Films launches Nine for IX, a series of nine documentary films about women in sports directed by outstanding female film makers
- Part of ESPN’s celebration of Title IX’s 40th anniversary
- Films will air on ESPN in primetime and ABC Saturdays beginning Summer 2013
- Additional content and perspective on espnW.com.
ESPNFC
- Represents one of the ESPN’s most significant worldwide commitments to soccer across multiple platforms
- Brings together all ESPN global soccer properties into a single multi-platform, multi-language, multi-country soccer brand
- Will automatically detect a fan’s location with the local language and content they care most about in that region
- New global editorial “newsroom” with new regional contributors will allow ESPNFC to cover all news and developments 24/7, regardless of where in the world
- Creating unique ad sales opportunities to work with companies on a global and regional scale
- Preview launched on April 30 in time for EURO 2012, full launch later this year
Global X
- Last year at ESPN’s Upfront, the company announced its plan to expand the X Games franchise globally to six events annually beginning in 2013, which launched an official bid process for interested host cities.
- On May 1, 2012, ESPN announced the three new cities to join Aspen, LA and Tignes, France with three-year deals with Munich, Barcelona and Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil.
- X Games events will spotlight the world’s best action sports athletes in BMX, Skateboard, Moto X, and Rally Car Racing at the X Games; and Skiing, Snowboard and Snowmobile at the winter version of the X Games against the backdrop of the host city and country.
- Expansion is a transformation from an action sports competition brand into an action sports lifestyle brand that will highlight new locations and enhanced cultural and digital elements around the world.
- More than 125 hours of live TV coverage across the six X Games events on ESPN networks in the U.S. and around the world will be supplemented by coverage on digital platforms, including a year-round action sports website.
- More information and the 2013 X Games schedule is available on www.xgames.com
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Amy Phillips amy.phillips@espn.com o: 646.547.5614 m: 917.453.6502
Kristen Hudak kristen.m.hudak@espn.com o: 646.547.5778 m: 917.698.3726
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