ESPN really wants America to care about SportsCenter like it used to. That’s why the network has taken the show in a new direction since last fall, why it has expanded the brand to Snapchat and why it is now planning a special two-hour behind-the-scenes show called SportsCenter All-Access, to air April 10 at 10 p.m. ET.
The concept for SportsCenter All-Access, as announced Thursday morning, is pretty interesting. Basically, the show will look like a regular SportsCenter, only with real-time behind-the-scenes looks at the studio, control room, screening room, green room, top 10 room and more. It will feature Steve Levy and Michael Eaves in a traditional anchor role as Elle Duncan and Marty Smith report from across ESPN’s Bristol, Connecticut campus. ESPN says the show will have “limited” commercial breaks.
“We often hear from fans who are interested in what goes on away from the SportsCenter set,” ESPN executive Norby Williamson said in a release. “In this all access edition, we’re going to take them places they normally wouldn’t go and show them things they normally wouldn’t see, all in a fun and entertaining manner, while continuing to deliver the day’s sports news in SportsCenter’s signature style.”
The idea driving the behind-the-scenes show seems to be building (or rebuilding) a connection between SportsCenter and its viewers. The network likely figures that if sports fans at home see the work that goes into SportsCenter and “meet” the people behind the show, they’ll likely feel more invested in the brand moving forward.
SportsCenter All-Access will also allow ESPN to spotlight aspects of its production that it would like viewers to better appreciate or understand. The network has attempted in recent months to shift SportsCenter back to its highlight-show roots, and it can reinforce that goal by leading viewers right to the place where highlights are assembled. ESPN’s release indicates that the SportsCenter All-Access show might run a highlight, then immediately cut to the screening room to learn how the highlight came alive.
You can tell SportsCenter All-Access matters to ESPN because of when the network has slotted it: right after a Yankees-Red Sox game that should provide a hefty lead-in. The network wants as many people watching as they can get.
This isn’t the first time ESPN has tried the all-access concept, but it is the first time in quite a while. The network used a similar format in 2003 and 2004, when it devoted the first hour of a SportsCenter show to explaining what goes into a broadcast and the used the second hour to take viewers behind the scenes of a live airing. The details will be different this time around, but the idea behind the show will seemingly be the same.
