ESPN will extend its theatrical distribution of College Football Playoff games with Theater Sports Network, the network announced Monday.
Showing live sports in movie theaters has become an ongoing trend in recent years. Just last weekend, NBC and IMAX partnered to air Penn State’s “White Out” game against Washington in 23 theaters nationwide. The two also paired to broadcast the 2024 Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony in over 100 IMAX theaters this summer. In 2022, UFC struck a deal with Iconic Events Releasing to show fights in movie theaters. And last year, ESPN announced its original deal with Theater Sports Network to broadcast about 75 ACC regular season games and the CFP in theaters.
The updated agreement covers the newly expanded 12-team postseason and includes games that ESPN has sublicensed to TNT Sports.
Scott Daw, the president of Theater Sports Network said in a statement, “Through our collaborative relationship with ESPN, college football fans can experience the game they love in compelling and innovative ways. The immersive experience of viewing the game on the big screen allows fans to be a part of the action. This is something every fan needs to experience for themselves! Watching your favorite team on an enormous screen, in Dolby Atmos surround sound, with likeminded fans, all while enjoying expert ESPN analysis and replays, there is nothing quite like it. This initiative enables movie theaters to be a great place for college football fans to experience the game as never before.”
Other than media companies continuing partnerships that land live sports on the big screen, there’s no indication that there’s much of a market for these experiences. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, movie theaters have been more apt to experiment with ways to elevate the viewing experience and get patrons back in seats.
Live sports certainly seem suitable for a theater experience, at least for premium events like the CFP. But going to the local AMC to watch a run-of-the-mill regular season ACC game seems a bit far-fetched.
These partnerships must be working on some level, however, or else they wouldn’t keep happening.
[ESPN PR]
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.