Archival content and special events could also help in the medium term
ESPN has revealed its plan to continue programming during the sports postponements caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
The broadcaster has lost access to many live sport events that would usually fill it schedule over the next month and beyond. However, executive vice president, programming acquisitions and scheduling, Burke Magnus, believes that ESPN can continue to provide a good service to consumers.
He told ESPN Front Row: “The challenge is that now we need to replicate that dynamic 24 hours a day, seven days a week across multiple networks. That’s what is in front of us in terms of long-range planning.”
News and live studio programming are the two key areas that Magnus pinpoints for making sure that this is possible in the short term: “We have two simultaneous goals. One is the immediate future in terms of how we can be as relevant as possible through news and live studio programming in order to frame for sports fans the impact that these unprecedented circumstances are having on the sports world.
“Since this week coincidentally is the beginning of the NFL league calendar and free agency, we’ve built our schedules with an eye toward that being a major topic of conversation.”
In time, the broadcaster can move on to other content: “The second goal is aimed at looking ahead to entertain fans through fun, compelling archival content and/or themed and stunt event programming that will provide a diversion at a time that there are virtually no other live sports to watch.”
Magnus added: “Any original content project that we can conceivably move up, we are obviously considering that, including films.”
ESPN has turned to this content with access to full replays of matches currently in question. It is something that the company will explore as the situation continues.
“Re-airing full-game presentations is not a right that we or other media companies typically have at our disposal at all times. Each one of these circumstances requires individual conversations with the specific league or property to determine what’s possible.”
“We are exploring that possibility for events and content that we don’t have re-air rights already.”