The launch of the ESPN DTC platform and new app is one of the seminal moments in the history of the WorldWide Leader in Sports. But ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro wants to make it clear that there is more to come than what is available at launch.
In the lead-up to the DTC platform and new app, ESPN has been searching far and wide for new content that can bolster the offering beyond what currently exists on ESPN networks. A landmark equity deal for the NFL will go a long way in that endeavor by bringing NFL Network into the fold and potentially more football content. However, given the regulatory process to actually close the deal, that may not come to fruition until next year.
Maybe that’s why in the week of the DTC launch, Pitaro is preaching patience for sports fans and subscribers. What we see at the ESPN DTC launch will be far from its finished product.
“It is the first inning,” Pitaro told The Athletic in an accompanying piece about the new app and DTC platform launch on Friday. “I’ve been very clear, internally and externally, that this is a marathon, not a sprint. This is going to launch with significant enhancements, but not all the enhancements that we have on the roadmap. There is going to be a steady drumbeat of improvements weekly, monthly, annually.”
We know what some of those enhancements will be. ESPN has long been toying with the idea of a personalized version of SportsCenter, although we don’t quite know how far and wide that will be available at launch. There’s also going to be a TikTok-style feed of highlights and videos for all the doom scrollers out there. And of course, what would an app launch be without some good old-fashioned Bristol synergy and serious ESPN Bet integration. Down the road, Pitaro hasn’t been shy about saying he would like to have accessibility or partnerships to make local rights available through the app as well depending on what deals can be struck. Maybe even the WWE library will eventually become part of the portfolio.
First impressions matter a great deal in any industry, especially in the media world. The last thing ESPN and Jimmy Pitaro wants is to come out with something that will be seen as unnecessary or overpriced for sports fans that will set the narrative for the foreseeable future.
ESPN is building their new app and DTC platform to be all things to all sports fans. But it won’t be there on day one. However, ESPN still has to offer a strong enough product at launch to make fans feel like it will be worth paying the $29.99 per month no matter what is or is not there from the beginning.
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