
ESPN's Jimmy Pitaro Reflects on ESPN Turning 45, Launch of a New App in 2025, and the Role of AI, RSNs We want to be at least part of the solution [to the RSN marketplace]-ESPN Chairperson Jimmy Pitaro By Ken Kerschbaumer
Wednesday, September 18, 2024 - 10:50 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
ESPN celebrated its 45th anniversary earlier this month and ESPN Chairperson Jimmy Pitaro reflected on the anniversary as well as the future of ESPN, the launch of a new streaming platform in 2025, and much more during an ESPN's annual Media Day.
It all starts with rights, Pitaro said of the reason he is bullish on ESPN's future as it begins year 45, pointing specifically to deals with the NBA, the NCAA, and college football as prime recent examples. We've done an amazing job, in my opinion, of acquiring marquee rights, championship rights, and differentiating rights with discipline. And we take a ton of pride in that, and I think we are very well set up for the foreseeable future from a live game perspective.
Those rights, he adds, are not just important from a linear perspective but also for ESPN's role as a multi-platform sports ecosystem. And in 2025 ESPN will take another step forward into that ecosystem with the launch of a new direct-to-consumer service with the internal code name of Flagship.
We need to be everywhere, and when I say everywhere, of course that means linear television and we will continue to be made available through the MVPD ecosystem, said Pitaro. But perhaps more importantly it means being more present digital platforms.
Flagship, said Pitaro, will build off of ESPN+ which was launched in 2018 in part to help the ESPN team get the tech stack right and prove that ESPN could handle live sports at scale on a digital platform. But ESPN+, for the most part, does not feature content that is available on ESPN's primary linear channels. The new service will change that.
It will be all of our linear networks, including our college networks, and it also will include ESPN+, says Pitaro. Everything that you're getting today by paying 12 bucks a month will be included in flagship, and we're pretty excited about it. But at the same time, we also, we know that this can't be as simple as just flipping the switch. We know that our product needs to be enhanced and it's an understatement to say that we have all hands on deck right now from a product and development perspective, front-end tech, back-end, tech design interface, all of that.
With respect to enhancements, Pitaro pointed to things like tying video programming together with the fantasy business and, yes, deep connective tissue between video programming and ESPN BET and linking ESPN BET to the ESPN DTC account.
If you're watching Monday Night Football and you've placed a bet, you'll be able to see that betting information powered by Penn and ESPN Bet on the shoulders of the video programming, he added. You'll see your fantasy lineup, you'll see your contextually relevant bets, you're going to see significant commerce integration. And then there will be enhanced stats that are relevant to the video, contextually relevant stats, more personalization, more customization, and of course, multi-screen.
Pitaro also said the DTC service could be a place where regional sports network could be available as an upsell.
We want to be at least part of the solution [to the RSN marketplace] and I very much believe that flagship should be part of the solution, he said. If you are within the ESPN environment we can geo-target you, recognize where you are, and serve you local in-market games. And we have made that point to the various leagues the various commissioners that we are very interested in stepping up here. By the way, it doesn't necessarily have to be in connection with flagship; it can be an upsell as a part of flagship and we could also make these games available within the ESPN app. Our reach is a very valuable asset to the leagues if they're focused on attracting or speaking to as many of their fans as possible. And we're not at all asking or requiring exclusivity; we just want to be part of the solution and be the starting point for sports fans.
Pitaro also believes the studio programming will continue to be a big part of the reason people will subscribe to a new ESPN service in 2025.
It wasn't very long ago where I would hear repeatedly, why are you guys continuing to invest in studio programming when every highlight is just one click away?, he explained. And if you look at our ratings, it's staggering. If you look at Get Up, First Take, Pat McAfee, SportsCenter our ratings throughout the day are really impressive. And we take a ton of pride in the fact that ratings are growing for studio program in a world of cord cutting. But that's because ESPN is the place of record and delivering the news with personality, charm, charisma, and authority. And that, to me, sets us up well for the future, including in a direct-to-consumer world.
ESPN is also, of course, looking to be part of another DTC effort with Venu Sports. ESPN, alongside WBD and Fox Sports, looked to launch Venu Sports this fall but a U.S. judge blocked the launch following a lawsuit from virtual MVPD Fubo.
As we've said publicly, we do respectfully disagree with the court's decision on the preliminary injunction, and we filed our notice of appeal, said Pitaro. We believe that Venu is a pro-competitive service, is pro consumer, pro sports fan, and we believe it's giving the sports fan another option. It's primarily directed at sports fans that are on the sidelines today, whether they're on the sidelines because they've cut the cord or they've never subscribed to the traditional ecosystem.
AI Frien
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION
Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...
30/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/01/2026
Grass Valley , the leading technology provider for live production solutions, and NETGEAR Inc. (NASDAQ: NTGR), a global leader in network solutions, today anno...
30/01/2026
tvONE, a leading video processor, signal distribution technology and media server developer, announces the expansion of Amit Singh's role to Regional Sales ...
30/01/2026
With a career that spans four decades across television, film and post-production, Freelance Sound Designer and Post-production Sound Mixer Mike Aiton has built...
30/01/2026
DPA Microphones will feature its new, fully integrated wireless microphone ecosystem, designed to let audio professionals work faster, cleaner and with total co...
30/01/2026
As the Middle East continues to accelerate investment in next-generation media, broadcast, and immersive content technologies, Ventum Tech today announced a str...
30/01/2026
Mark Roberts Motion Control (MRMC), a Nikon company and global leader in robotic camera systems, today announced its participation at Integrated Systems Europe ...
30/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/01/2026
Boston Conservatory at Berklee Hosts the National Opera Association's 2026 C...
30/01/2026
Student Spotlight: Sriram Narayanan The classical pianist shares his experience growing up with a language disability and finding his voice through music.
Ja...
29/01/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), in collaboration with a distribut...
29/01/2026
Michele Fracchiolla Succeeds Andrew Barr as President of EMEA region from April 1, 2026
London, January 29, 2026
Hitachi Europe Ltd. today announces the appoi...
29/01/2026
MELBOURNE, Fla., January 29, 2026 - L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) reports fu...
29/01/2026
Bluey' Wins Second Consecutive Top Streaming Title of the Year with 45 Billi...
29/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/01/2026
Boston Conservatory Orchestra Presents East Coast Premiere of Peter and Leonardo...
29/01/2026
Mercedes-Benz is marking 140 years of automotive innovation with a new S-Class b...
29/01/2026
X-Rite Pantone Appoints Cindy Cooperman as Vice President and General Manager of...
29/01/2026
New two-part true crime documentary, OUTBACK TERROR: THE FALCONIO MURDER, aims to shed new light on a case that continues to intrigue on both sides of the world...
29/01/2026
Back to All News
Love is Blind: Sweden Returns for a Third Season - Premiering ...
29/01/2026
Back to All News
Unmask Bridgerton' Season 4 With Our Complete Coverage Guide
Yerin Ha as Sophie Baek and Luke Thompson as Benedict Bridgerton in Season ...
29/01/2026
Back to All News
Extraordinary Crime Mysteries, Mythical Worlds and High-Stakes...
29/01/2026
FOX Sports Unveils Historic FIFA World Cup 2026 Broadcast Schedule Monumental Slate Features 340 Hours of Live First-Run Programming Across FOX Sports Platfo...
29/01/2026
AI Assistants Head into 2026 on a High Note: Comscore Reports Triple-Digit Growt...
29/01/2026
Broadcom Confirms Arvato Systems' Status as a VCSP Partner
Broadcom Partner Program Update
Arvato Systems confirmed as authorized VMware Cloud Service Pr...
29/01/2026
Editor's note: This post is part of Into the Omniverse, a series focused on ...
29/01/2026
RT has today announced that Annette Malone has been appointed to the role of Chief People Officer, RT following a public competition.
As Chief People Officer...
29/01/2026
Get ready to game - the native GeForce NOW app for Linux PCs is now available in beta, letting Linux desktops tap directly into GeForce RTX performance from the...
28/01/2026
Top L-R: The Liars, Jazz Infernal, Living with a Visionary
Second Row L-R: Paper Trail, The Baddest Speechwriter of All, Crisis Actor
Third Row: The Boys and ...
28/01/2026
Music discovery should feel intuitive and personal. That's why we're continuing to give you more control, so you can ask for what you want, shape what y...
28/01/2026
Today, Charlie Hellman, Spotify's Head of Music, shared the following note on the Spotify for Artists blog that the company paid out more than $11 billion t...
28/01/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), in partnership with the Oudtshoorn Municipality, invites aspiring and emerging filmmakers to apply for the Sediba...
28/01/2026
As demand for more complex live sports coverage grows, Balkan broadcast specialist MVP has upgraded its flagship HD1 progressive OB truck with the installation ...
28/01/2026
Airlines, cruise and tour operators double down on ad spend as Australians' prioritise travel
Sydney January 28, 2026 - New Nielsen Ad Intel data shows a...
28/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/01/2026
Marshall Electronics launches the CV420-27X, its next-generation ultra-high-definition (UHD) IP camera, at ISE 2026 (Stand 4N900). Engineered for modern IP-base...
28/01/2026
Grass Valley has announced that Television Mobiles Ltd. (TVM), one of Europe's leading independent outside broadcast providers, has carried out a major refu...