30 for 30

The 30 for 30 brand continues to make its mark. The well-regarded ESPN documentaries have gone from being one specific anniversary project to being the company’s most prominent and ongoing documentary brand (which they were somewhat forced into, given how 30 for 30 took off), and they’ve also spun off other endeavors like 30 for 30 Shorts.

Now, after this summer’s news that they were building a 30 for 30 Podcasts team, ESPN has officially announced they’re going to be telling stories through longform audio 30 for 30 Podcasts starting in early 2017.

The podcasts will each look at a specific story, and will use a combination of new interviews and archival sound (much as the 30 for 30 documentaries have combined new and old footage). They’ll be produced both in-house and in collaboration with other ESPN talent, as well as outside reporters and documentarians. Here are some comments on the new podcasts from ESPN’s release:

“Long-form podcast offerings from ESPN Audio have been popular thus far, and working with the ESPN Films team we will break new ground with deep reporting and high production values,” said Tom Ricks, vice president, digital strategy, ESPN Audio. “Sports fans and fans of our 30 for 30 documentaries will now have a new way to consume this compelling content.”

Added Libby Geist, vice president and executive producer, ESPN Films and Original Content: “ESPN Films has had an incredible run over the last eight years, including shorts and feature-length documentaries. Audio documentaries are an exciting extension of the 30 for 30 brand and we look forward to presenting our unique approach to storytelling in podcasting form. With this series, we hope to continue serving our fans on a new platform, but also introduce 30 for 30 to audio consumers.”

This seems to make sense on a lot of levels. There’s certainly an appetite for longer reporting and storytelling in podcasts, as the success of the likes of Serial has shown, and the 30 for 30 brand should give these new podcasts a fair bit of instant recognition and credibility. Moreover, ESPN’s already found that some stories are great for full 30 for 30s and some are meant for 30 for 30 Shorts, so adding a third medium gives them even more options when it comes to finding the best fit for an individual story.

The podcasting landscape is very crowded, though, so it won’t necessarily be easy for these podcasts to make a huge splash there. We’ll see how much of a boost they get from the 30 for 30 name, and if they can live up to the quality that name has meant so far.

[ESPN Media Zone]

About Andrew Bucholtz

Andrew Bucholtz has been covering sports media for Awful Announcing since 2012. He is also a staff writer for The Comeback. His previous work includes time at Yahoo! Sports Canada and Black Press.

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