
For ESPN, New Platforms Lead to New Audiences Company execs share insights on online opportunities at Hashtag Sports conference By Troy Dreier, Contributor, Streaming & Digital
Monday, July 1, 2019 - 10:10 am
Print This Story
Story Highlights
ESPN's online strategy is more is more. Reaching more people on more social platforms grows the base overall. Appealing to new viewers creates lifelong fans. Every platform needs its own tailored approach, but a success on one helps build the overall ESPN brand.
A panel of ESPN insiders put a spotlight on that philosophy at last week's Hashtag Sports conference in New York City.
From left: ESPN's Connor Schell, Mina Kimes, and Laura Gentile at last week's Hashtag Sports conference.
This company has always been founded on the notion [that] we are reaching audiences wherever they are and wherever they're interacting with sports, said Connor Schell, EVP, content, ESPN. That has meant for us, over the past several years, thinking about how our brand exists and what we can create on our social platforms, launching our new service ESPN+ so that we can have a complementary sports service in the over-the-top environment, thinking about how we're presenting our programming and our content and our storytelling across platforms to reach and engage new audiences.
That approach means being everywhere the brand can be, seconded Laura Gentile, SVP, marketing, ESPN, noting that the company has a massive linear audience and is now focused on driving its digital and social platforms as well.
For Mina Kimes, senior writer, podcast host, and commentator, ESPN, it's the social connections that make a multiplatform approach really fun. Fans watch ESPN but live on their social networks, and they want to be reached in both those places.
Different platforms have different strengths. Streaming live on Twitter lets hosts talk to hardcore fans and even display their own fandom: If you're an insane football fan, then you're on Twitter during the Drafts. You are looking for reactions, Kimes said. On Twitter, we have the freedom to not only be analytical and go deep because we have the time but also to show our passion and authenticity. I love the Draft; I geek out on it. If I'm on Twitter talking about it, I feel comfortable doing that. It's 45 minutes of analysis and five minutes of freak out, and that's what people on Twitter want.
ESPN has learned that appealing to people via new media is additive. Focusing on the recent NFL Draft, Gentile pointed out that different media were able to deliver the story in different ways - the ABC telecast looked at backstory while ESPN was analytical - and 46% of the network's total audience was female.
When ESPN reaches out through multiple channels, Schell added, it isn't simply speaking to the same fans in new ways. Each channel grows year-over-year, and the Twitter stream brings new fans under the ESPN umbrella.
That's an exciting outcome for us, he observed, because it proved a thesis that, by thinking about how you present this in different places, you actually lift the whole thing. It's not dividing it among the same group of people. Wherever people become sports fans is good for the business we're in every single day.
ESPN's new channels include podcasting and the ESPN+ direct-to-consumer OTT service. Podcasting enables deeper rather than broader content, connecting closely with a specific audience. It also encourages the launch of niche shows featuring a particular point of view or subject area. In addition, podcasts let on-air personalities expand and display a new side of themselves.
ESPN+ gives the media giant a way to surface additional properties it has the rights to and allows a more experimental approach to live programming.
Live podcast events are another growing area, letting fans connect with their favorite on-air hosts and other passionate listeners. If that sounds like a strange topic for this conference, the speakers thought so, too.
It's funny [that], at a digitally focused conference, we're talking about something that feels very old school, which is people buying tickets and showing up, Kimes said. But it's something we and, I think, a lot of other places have been doing more and more, and it's gaining traction. She notes that several recent events sold out quickly: There's clearly a strong desire for those.
For a specific and passionate audience, live events built around podcasts let like-minded fans come together and find community. It's a blend of old and new, and it's a way to connect.
I think it's really valuable to actually see my audience face-to-face, Kimes joked. The thing about social media is, we actually know them more than we ever did before. Maybe a little bit too much.
Most recent headlines
09/11/2025
Dalet today announced a transformative leap forward for media operations: Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI) that unifies the Dalet ecosystem under one natura...
06/10/2025
France T l visions, France's leading broadcaster, has received the 2025 EBU ...
16/09/2025
At DSEI 2025, James Dunne of L3Harris Maritime UK chaired a panel on aligning the supply chain to the warfighter, where leaders discussed modernising support fo...
16/09/2025
Calrec has strengthened its collaboration with audio metering expert RTW by integrating RTW's new TMxCore metering platform across its full range of Argo IP...
16/09/2025
College Football Scores Top Telecast in August with 16M+ Viewers on FOX, Followe...
16/09/2025
Collaboration marks the first SSP integration of Gracenote IDs, enabling show-le...
16/09/2025
AMSTERDAM The organizers of IBC2025 are reporting that 43,858 visitors from more than 170 countries attended the event, which had more than 1,300 exhibitors and...
16/09/2025
Wooden Camera announces the release of its new Accessory Collection for the FUJIFILM GFX ETERNA 55. The highlights of this collection include vital power soluti...
16/09/2025
Anton/Bauer, a leading manufacturer of mobile power solutions for broadcast and cinematic equipment, has announced the launch of Anton/Bauer Fleet Management, a...
16/09/2025
Teradek, a leading provider of video transmission and live production solutions, today announced the launch of Prism Jetpack, a groundbreaking 5G video contribu...
16/09/2025
Astera, the leader in wireless LED lighting solutions, announces the ultra-versatile SolaBulb. Building on the success of the Astera bulb family, SolaBulb intro...
16/09/2025
As the world gathered at TED2025 to explore the provocative theme "Humanity Reimagined", Clear-Com , supported by NETGEAR networking infrastructure, delivered f...
16/09/2025
Bitfocus' Buttons platform celebrated as a catalyst for AV and broadcast convergence
Bitfocus has been named winner of the IABM Impact Award Pro AV Chan...
16/09/2025
Record entries and outstanding innovation celebrated at IBC2025 as the MediaTech community honors its leading people, projects and organizations
IABM announced...
16/09/2025
Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced that SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation (SJC), a leading satellite operator and pay-TV provider in Japan, has partnered with H...
16/09/2025
Telestream congratulates Sky Group, which has been awarded the prestigious IBC Innovation Award for Content Distribution for its MediaMesh platform on Sunday, S...
16/09/2025
Leading space solutions company will use optical ground stations to deliver faster, more secure data from space
Luxembourg, September 15, 2025 - SES, a leading...
16/09/2025
NOVI, Mich. ENCO has unveiled Raptor, a cloud-based live streaming captioning encoder that injects the speed, power and reliability of real-time AI capabilities...
16/09/2025
NEW YORK Comcast NBCUniversal and NBCUniversal Local have announced that a total of $2.5 million has been awarded in 2025 to 69 nonprofit organizations servicin...
16/09/2025
AMSTERDAM Martin Euredjian has joined Atomos as director of advanced imaging and will lead innovation for advanced display technology....
16/09/2025
AMSTERDAM Calrec introduced a 48-faced Argo M and showcased its largest Argo software updates at the recently concluded IBC2025....
16/09/2025
AMSTERDAM Lawo introduced its HOME Audio Shuffler app, a replacement for a traditional baseband audio matrix within an IP-based Dynamic Media Facility, during t...
16/09/2025
CBS is reporting that the 77TH Emmy Awards hosted by Nate Bargatze on Sunday Sept. 14 was seen by more than 7.42 million viewers on the CBS Television Network a...
16/09/2025
Back to All News
Meet the Adversaries That Will Clash in Rulers of Fortune, a S...
16/09/2025
Back to All News
Would You Take 30 Million Baht from a Dead Persons Account? E...
16/09/2025
Back to All News
Netflix Unveils the Official Trailer and Poster for She Walks ...
16/09/2025
Comscore Unveils The Scoreboard: An Interactive Destination Surfacing Consumer B...
15/09/2025
Steve Zahn, Winona Ryder, Ethan Hawke, and Janeane Garofalo star in Ben Stiller&...
15/09/2025
Global K-Pop sensation aespa is redefining what it means to be rich with the r...
15/09/2025
Every day, millions of people around the world turn to Spotify to enjoy the audi...
15/09/2025
After months of intensive planning and implementation, Brembo SGL Carbon Ceramic...
15/09/2025
A U.S. Marine launches a Javelin shoulder-fired anti-tank missile during a training exercise. (Photo credit: U.S. Marine Corps)...
15/09/2025
AMSTERDAM TV Tech has named its Best of Show Awards winners for IBC2025, which wraps up today. Entrants were judged by a panel of industry experts on the criter...
15/09/2025
Unique sports content orchestration platform builds momentum among SES's cus...
15/09/2025
Back to All News
Over 41 Million Global Viewers On Netflix Watch Terence Crawfo...
15/09/2025
Paris, France - September 15, 2025 -- Space42 (ADX: SPACE42), the UAE-based AI-p...
15/09/2025
Back to All News
The Great Flood' Teaser Trailer Previews A Gripping Struggle for Survival
Entertainment
15 September 2025
GlobalSouth Korea
Link copi...
15/09/2025
Back to All News
From Hardship to Hope: Typhoon Family' Presents a Tale of...
15/09/2025
Back to All News
Gloom Goes Global as Wednesday's' The Doom Tour Hit...
15/09/2025
-- Opens door to growth in renewable energy New Delhi, India - 15th September -- Global business and industry leaders from around the world are joining technol...
14/09/2025
Partnership to address business and technical challenges of DMF adoption
he Advanced Media Workflow Association (AMWA) and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU...
14/09/2025
WARNER BROS. TELEVISION'S THE PITT (HBO MAX) WINS FIVE EMMY AWARDS, INCLU...
14/09/2025
Back to All News
Mantis' Trailer Previews High-Stakes Rivalries to Be No. ...
13/09/2025
ATLANTA Cox Media Group has announced that the company's vice president of news, Misty Turnbull has been inducted into the National Academy of Television Ar...
13/09/2025
AMSTERDAM Shotoku Broadcast Systems, a major developer of robotic systems, has announced plans to take studio robotics to the next level at IBC2025 by debuting ...
13/09/2025
At IBC2025 in Amsterdam, Riedel Communications unveiled Bolero Mini, the company's lightest and flattest wireless intercom beltpack to date. Designed to del...
13/09/2025
Shotoku Broadcast Systems, the international developer of dependable, userfriendly robotic systems, is taking studio robotics to the next level at IBC 2025 with...
13/09/2025
Bitmovin, a leading provider of video streaming solutions, today released the 9th annual Video Developer Report 2025/26, offering an in-depth look at the evolvi...
13/09/2025
Bitmovin, the leading provider of video streaming solutions, today announced a strategic partnership with StreamShark, the trusted video platform for enterprise...
13/09/2025
Ikegami has chosen IBC 2025 in Amsterdam as the launch venue for a major addition to its range of viewfinders. The new VFE-P711AD is a 7-inch high resolution OL...