ESPN is planning to further integrate its content into Disney+.
The network announced on Thursday that it will be launching a new show, SC+, exclusively on its Disney+ streaming service. The new show will debut March 3 and be hosted by the new-age SportsCenter tandem of Gary Striewski and Randy Scott on weekdays at 9 a.m. ET. A weekend edition will be hosted by Hannah Storm and Jay Harris.
According to the announcement, “SC+ will be built around the highly popular ‘SC Top 10’ daily countdown of sports moments,” while also featuring “the most important sports news stories of the day, complemented by insights from ESPN’s top insiders and reporters.”
“It’s an absolute honor to take one of ESPN’s most-prestigious and historic brands in SportsCenter and infuse it with the energy and creativity afforded by Disney+,” Mike Foss, Senior Vice President, Studio & Entertainment said in the announcement. “SC+ endeavors to tell the best stories in sports daily in an unforgettable way. This fresh approach, combined with the expansive reach of Disney+, will resonate whether you are an ardent sports fan or looking for something new after your latest series binge.”
The news comes just a couple months after Disney+ added a dedicated ESPN tile to its home screen. At the time, ESPN also revealed it’d be developing a daily SportsCenter show for the platform along with a show dedicated to covering women’s sports. The latter has yet to be announced.
As one would expect with a show geared around the iconic “Top 10 Plays” segment, SC+ will be geared towards casual fans. In December, ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro told CNBC that the company’s research shows “very little overlap between people watching Disney+ and ESPN linear.”
Presumably, the goal is to convert some of those people watching Disney+ into sports fans, with a show like SC+ being the gateway.
