The network also said Watch ESPN, the authenticated TV Everywhere app
introduced last year, is now in 40 million homes. ESPN predicted that figure
would double by 2013.
"Whether we televise the game or not, there is an audience consuming it via
ESPN platforms," said Sean Bratches, exec VP-sales and marketing.
And this is just the tip of the iceberg, Mr. Bratches said. ESPN is working
with companies including Facebook, YouTube, Amazon, Netflix and Microsoft to
further expand the offerings. "Young males spend more time consuming media" on
Xbox than playing video games," he said.
ESPN is making content for these digital platforms, reviving the "30 to 30"
franchise with "30 for 30 Shorts," which will roll out monthly on Grantland, the
sports-plus-pop-culture site created by sports journalist Bill Simmons.
To visualize just how advertisers can partner with its various digital
platforms, ESPN presented three case studies from partners Gatorade, Goodyear
and Diageo.
Gatorade partnered with ESPN across multiple screens in an effort to embrace
female athletes and moms, an audience that ESPN is making a concerted effort to
tap into with espnW. This includes "Nine for IX," a series of nine documentary
films about women in sports in celebration of Title IX's 40th anniversary.
