The launch of the ESPN Flagship direct-to-consumer streaming platform is rapidly approaching and it still seems like ESPN is trying as hard as they can to load it up with as many content options as possible.
There has been talk of ESPN trying to serve as a one stop shop for sports fans with the advent of Flagship. The network has openly stated that it hopes the platform becomes the “Netflix of sports” whether that means more rights or access and links to regional sports networks. There’s also been the various stops and starts of mergers, partnerships, and licensing content such as the failed Venu Sports initiative and rumors about a potential deal with Fox Sports, who now look to finally be going on their own with a streaming venture.
And now comes another idea to try to sell sports fans on the service, specifically younger generations.
In Alex Sherman’s weekly CNBC Sport newsletter, he reports that ESPN is planning user-generated content to be part of the ESPN Flagship platform in an effort to reach younger sports fans.
ESPN will debut its bet-the-company “flagship” application this fall. One interesting nugget I learned: ESPN will build user-generated content (UGC) into the platform. I’m still a bit hazy on the details, but I reported back in July that Disney executives think about the YouTube threat “every day” and were discussing adding UGC to Disney+. An ESPN spokesperson declined to comment.
I’m told at least some of the UGC won’t be ready at initial launch and will be geared toward parents – or at least a shared experience between kids and parents. That makes sense. While Gen Alpha has easy access to YouTube because it’s free, it’ll be up to their parents to pay for the ESPN application – $25 or $30 a month, I’m told. Executives are still weighing the right price between those two options.
User-generated content seems like a weird fit for a huge brand like ESPN. But imagine the draw for young fans if they could upload their own videos and see their highlights or reactions right next to a live stream of Monday Night Football or the NBA. While you can understand the strategy, it is still just a little bit weird. The draw for ESPN Flagship is the company’s armada of live sports rights that you can’t get anywhere else. I could go to YouTube right now and watch a zillion fan created videos without paying a subscription fee.
It’s just another example of ESPN trying to throw everything at the DTC wall and hoping that something sticks. And if that means having “Sam reacts to seeing Stephen A. Smith troll the Dallas Cowboys for the first time” reaction videos as part of their platform, then so be it.
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