ESPN

'Monday Night Football' scores on mobile

Jason Ankeny — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 10:05:08 -0400

This week's broadcast of ESPN's Monday Night Football delivered the biggest audience in the history of cable television, and fan interest also proved strong across the mobile platform. According to ESPN, the Dallas Cowboys' 41-37 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles earned a 13.3 rating, drawing 18.6 million viewers--last season's MNF contest pitting the New England Patriots against the Baltimore Ravens was the previous record holder, with a 13.0 rating and viewership in excess of 17.5 million. No less significant, ESPN's "Monday Night Surround" digital effort generated more than 8.6 million visits via the web and mobile--the network reports close to 86 million page views from Monday through Tuesday at noon, with more than 2.6 million views of NFL-related video on ESPN.com and 2.4 million views of SportsCenter Right Now. In addition, over the last week consumers downloaded more than 614,000 ESPN football-themed podcasts.

For more on the MNF ratings bonanza:
- read this release

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AT&T touts college football content for 2008

Jason Ankeny — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 10:26:33 -0400

The 2008 NCAA college football campaign officially kicked Thursday night, and in time for the new season AT&T is again launching its AT&T All-America Player of the Week promotion, which enables fans to vote via text message on outstanding individual gridiron performances. Each week, a panel of ESPN experts will choose four finalists based on their performance the previous week--the results of the viewer poll are at 9:00 a.m. ET each Sunday on ESPN's SportsCenter. AT&T will also reintroduce its NCAA Football Portal, which features mobile video highlights and photos spotlighting each week's candidates--subscribers may also track their favorite teams or view the mobile video series Confessions of a College Football Junkie, which stars ESPN personalities Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit.

For more on AT&T's college football efforts:
- read this release

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ESPN inks multi-platform broadcast deal with SEC

Jason Ankeny — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 10:29:36 -0400

ESPN continues to bolster its multi-platform programming slate--a week after announcing a new digital rights agreement with Major League Baseball Advanced Media, the sports broadcasting giant inked a new 15-year agreement with the NCAA's venerable Southeastern Conference that will extend SEC college football and basketball to mobile devices. Per terms of the $2.25 billion agreement, which runs from 2009 to 2024, ESPN entities including ESPN Mobile TV will air more than 5,500 SEC events spotlighting perennial sports powerhouses including the University of Florida, the University of Georgia, the University of Kentucky and the University of Tennessee. ESPN notes that ESPN Mobile TV will simulcast live games originating via ESPN, ESPN2 and its other cable networks.

For more on the ESPN/SEC deal:
- read this release

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ESPN inks multi-platform digital deal with MLB

Jason Ankeny — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 10:19:13 -0400

Sports broadcasting giant ESPN announced a digital rights agreement with Major League Baseball Advanced Media that will extend the network's extensive baseball coverage to the mobile platform. According to ESPN, the new deal--which runs through 2013--includes rights for its mobile initiatives ESPN Mobile TV, ESPN Mobile Publishing and ESPN MVP as well as ESPN.com and ESPN360.com; the contract also covers portable media devices like the iPod and Zune, video game consoles, interactive television and other emerging platforms.

Most notably, ESPN Mobile TV may now simulcast all airings of Sunday Night Baseball, Monday Night Baseball and Wednesday Night Baseball in addition to the annual Home Run Derby and other special MLB events for which ESPN retains television rights. ESPN's mobile channels will also expand delivery of baseball video highlights, both as individual clips and as part of original programming.

ESPN adds that in June 2008, its mobile web traffic increased 23 percent year-over-year, no doubt thanks in large part to its coverage of golf's 2008 U.S. Open.

For more on the ESPN/MLBAM deal:
- read this release

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Live NASCAR coverage races onto ESPN Mobile TV

Jason Ankeny — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 10:28:13 -0400

Sports media giant ESPN and Qualcomm's mobile broadcast unit MediaFLO USA announced an agreement to air a series of live NASCAR auto racing events throughout the month of August via ESPN Mobile TV. The network will broadcast live race coverage of the NASCAR Nationwide Series alongside six Sprint Cup Series races, highlighted by the Centurion Boats at the Glen on Aug. 10, the 3M Performance 400 on Aug. 17, the Sharpie 500 on Aug. 23 and the Pepsi 500 on Aug. 31.

For more on ESPN Mobile TV's NASCAR coverage:
- read this release

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ESPN kicks off mobile fantasy football

Jason Ankeny — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 09:46:00 -0400

With NFL training camps now underway, it's time for fantasy football freaks to gear up for the 2008 season. Sports broadcasting giant ESPN announced its fantasy coverage will expand to the mobile platform, highlighted by the free interactive ESPN Fantasy Football game, which now offers mobile alerts and team management alongside feature like live scoring, multiple draft options and expert analysis. ESPN.com's Emmy Award-winning live program Fantasy Football Now will also appear on ESPN Mobile TV on Sundays, with daily Fantasy Focus videos featured across both the online and mobile platforms as well.

For more on ESPN's fantasy football coverage:
- read this release

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ESPN, MediaFLO team for mobile X Games channel

Jason Ankeny — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 10:27:36 -0400

ESPN announced an agreement with Qualcomm's mobile broadcast unit MediaFLO USA to deliver the sports media's giant's extreme sports showcase X Games to mobile viewers. ESPN and MediaFLO USA will launch a dedicated X Games mobile channel, dubbed EXPN, that will air 24/7 from July 16 through Aug. 8 on AT&T and Verizon Wireless; the broadcast will include a combined 31 hours of live X Games 14 coverage, including BMX Freestyle, Moto X, Skateboard and Rally Car Racing events. The EXPN channel will also feature "Best of the X Games" programming in the weeks before and after the event.

For more on EXPN:
- read this release

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ESPN's NBA Draft coverage goes multi-platform

Jason Ankeny — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 11:08:35 -0400

ESPN announced its annual coverage of the NBA Draft will span across the sports broadcasting giant's myriad media properties, including live mobile coverage. In addition to its live network coverage of the 2008 draft, which takes place June 27, ESPN's multimedia presentation will include live simulcasts on ESPN Mobile TV and ESPN360.com, a live broadcast on ESPN Radio and comprehensive reporting and analysis on ESPN.com. ESPN Mobile TV's coverage will additionally feature breaking news updates, instant commentator analysis and a ScoreCenter recap. The ESPN WAP site will also feature a special Draft section enabling NBA fans to follow the selections in real time--opt-in mobile alerts will provide additional up-to-the-minute selection updates and breaking news.

For more on ESPN's NBA draft mobile coverage:
- read this TMR Zoo article

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AT&T Mobile TV serves live Wimbledon coverage

Jason Ankeny — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 09:47:34 -0400

Qualcomm's MediaFLO USA mobile broadcast subsidiary announced an agreement with the ESPN Mobile TV and NBC Sports on NBC2Go networks to provide AT&T subscribers comprehensive live mobile coverage of tennis' Wimbledon tournament, the sport's oldest and most prestigious championship. AT&T Mobile TV subscribers will enjoy a combined 119 hours of live Wimbledon coverage from London's All England Lawn Tennis Club beginning today at 7 a.m. EDT and continuing through the men's finals and mixed doubles finals on July 6 at 9 a.m. EDT.

For more on AT&T Mobile TV's Wimbledon coverage:
- read this release

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ESPN averages 2 million mobile users during U.S. Open

Jason Ankeny — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 09:39:53 -0400

ESPN's coverage of golf's 2008 U.S. Open buoyed fan interest in the sports broadcasting giant across multiple platforms. Over the course of the tournament, which culminated Monday in a sudden-death playoff pairing eventual winner Tiger Woods against underdog Rocco Mediate, ESPN's WAP site averaged more than 2 million unique daily visitors seeking golf information, generating nearly 3 million mobile page views. By comparison, ESPN.com generated more than 5.1 million visits between Thursday and Monday, yielding 36.7 million pageviews; Monday's playoff alone generated nearly 2.4 million visits and 10.7 million pageviews. Monday's broadcast from noon to 2 p.m. EST was also the most-viewed golf telecast in cable television history, notching a 4.2 household rating and 4,762,000 viewers.

For more on ESPN's U.S. Open traffic:
- read this release

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U.S. Open tees off live via MediaFLO

Jason Ankeny — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 08:44:33 -0400

NBC Sports and ESPN announced an agreement with Qualcomm's MediaFLO USA mobile broadcast solutions unit to provide live coverage of all four days of the 2008 U.S. Open golf championship via the AT&T Mobile TV and Verizon Wireless' V Cast Mobile TV services. Beginning June 12 at 1:00 p.m. ET, ESPN and NBC Sports on NBC 2Go will supply MediaFLO USA with 30 hours of live coverage from Torrey Pines Golf Course in La Jolla, Calif.--the two broadcast networks will split coverage during the first two rounds, with NBC Sports on NBC2Go airing the final two rounds in their entirety.

For more on the MediaFLO U.S. Open coverage:
-read this release

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AT&T Mobile TV finally on tap for May

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 07:59:59 -0400

AT&T and MediaFLO USA said the long-gestating AT&T Mobile TV service will finally launch in May 2008, more than a year after the firms formally announced their partnership. According to AT&T, the service will deliver full-length television content and sporting events from networks including CBS Mobile, NBC 2GO, FOX Mobile, Comedy Central, ESPN Mobile TV, MTV and Nickelodeon. AT&T Mobile TV will debut on two new exclusive handsets, the LG Vu and the Samsung Access, and will also feature two exclusive channels to be named later.

For more on the AT&T Mobile TV launch:
- read this release

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Verizon intros exclusive V Cast TV channels

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 07:59:58 -0400

Not to be outdone, Verizon Wireless announced two new exclusive additions to its own MediaFLO-enabled mobile TV effort, V Cast Mobile TV, launching MTV Tr3s and ESPN Radio. The bilingual MTV Tr3s will bring to mobile popular programs including Sucker Free Latino, Karlifornia, Quiero Mis Quinces, Pimpeando and Rock Dinner. The network will introduce Verizon subscribers to its programming with a 30-minute V Cast Mobile TV special hosted by VJ Karli Henriquez, and the mobile TV service will also be the subject of a promotional push on the cable network's website, radio outlet and even a 40-foot electronic billboard in New York's Times Square. Meanwhile, the fledgling ESPN Radio mobile channel will feature 24/7 sports news and analysis from series including the enormously entertaining Mike and Mike in the Morning, The Mike Tirico Show, The Pulse and GameNight.

In other pre-CTIA Wireless 2008 announcements, Verizon said it will offer access to the fledgling MySpace Mobile social networking service across all of its Mobile Web 2.0-enabled handsets, promising subscribers the tools to edit MySpace profiles, view and add friends, post comments and blogs, send and receive MySpace messages via mobile device. Verizon will also debut new Mobile Web 2.0 sites for Viacom-owned cable networks MTV, VH1, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon and CMT.

For more on the MTV Tr3s mobile channel:
- read this release

For more on the ESPN Radio mobile channel:
- read this release

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Mobile advertising recall and response rising

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 06:59:58 -0500

While 23 percent of U.S. mobile subscribers say they've been exposed to mobile advertising initiatives in the past 30 days, 51 percent who recall ad exposure said they responded to the ad in some way, according to a new study released by consumer research firm The Nielsen Company. The bi-annual Mobile Advertising Report from Nielsen Mobile notes that the number of data users who recalled seeing mobile advertising grew sharply between the second and fourth quarters of 2007, increasing 38 percent from 42 to 58 million subscribers.

Other Nielsen findings:

26 percent of those who saw an ad responded at least once via SMS, the most popular response; 9 percent say they've used click-to-call to respond
Teens ages 13 to 17 were the most likely age segment to recall seeing mobile advertising at 46 percent, compared to 29 percent of all data users
Asian-Americans (42 percent) and African-Americans (40 percent) are more likely to recall mobile advertising than all data users
32 percent of data users said they are agreeable to mobile advertising if it lowers their monthly bill
13 percent said they are agreeable to mobile advertising if it improves the media and content currently available
14 percent said they are already agreeable to mobile advertising assuming it is relevant to their interests
23 percent expect to see more mobile advertising in the future, up from 15 percent in the first quarter of 2007

"We see an increasing trend of consumers willing to trade off and receive advertising to gain more--and better--mobile content," Nielsen Mobile VP of mobile media Jeff Herrmann in a prepared statement. "Successful mobile marketers will meet the challenge offered by consumers by engaging with them in a way that adds value to the mobile user content experience."

For more on the Nielsen Mobile report:
- read this release

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AT&T's MedioFLO launch delayed again?

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 06:59:58 -0500

After announcing late last year its intentions to launch its long-planned live mobile TV service "as early as possible" in 2008, AT&T has apparently delayed the MediaFLO-based service's debut yet again. AT&T's rumored Feb. 5 launch date has come and gone, and now Mobiunity reports the operator's latest pricing data, which extends through April 7, makes no mention of the LG Vu or the Samsung Access, the two handsets commonly associated with the MedioFLO service. Of course, with Mobile World Congress just days away, it's entirely possible AT&T is simply waiting to make a splash by officially unveiling the service in Barcelona. We shall see.

According to AT&T, the MediaFLO service will launch with eight live, linear channels: CBS Mobile, Fox Mobile, NBC2Go, NBC News2Go, ESPN Mobile TV, MTV, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon. Neither pricing information nor an official brand for the service has yet been announced. The mobile TV solution was first supposed to go live in the fourth quarter of 2007: "The testing of the software and hardware is going very, very well, but we decided to take just a little extra time to make sure the user experience is absolutely optimal," said AT&T executive director of media relations Mark Siegel at that time.

For more speculation:
- read this Mobiunity article

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C&L: MySpace names Amit Kapur COO

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 06:59:50 -0500

MySpace names Amit Kapur COO.

ESPN appoints Tim Connolly vice president of mobile distribution.

Bytemobile names Chris Koopmans vice president of product development.

Sky Dayton resigns as Helio CEO

Tue, 29 Jan 2008 06:59:58 -0500

Mobile virtual network operator Helio announced that founding CEO Sky Dayton has resigned his post, with president and COO Wonhee Sull named as his replacement. Dayton was appointed non-executive Chairman of Helio's Board of Directors. The company said he will remain actively involved in shaping its strategy and initiatives. "Helio has reached a point in its development where I feel the timing is right for this change," Dayton said in a statement.

Dayton's move will no doubt further speculation that EarthLink (the ISP he founded in 1994) is planning to sell its stake in Helio, which it launched in association with Korean operator SK Telecom. Last fall EarthLink president and CEO Rolla Huff reiterated the company's commitment to Helio: "I think that the investment that we've made there absolutely has value," Huff insisted at the time. "We have no plans to go out and sell it. It's a growing business. It's a business that we support."

In announcing Dayton's resignation, Helio also reported usage statistics for its nearly 200,000 subscribers, claiming an ARPU of $85 and a 2007 revenue run rate of over $240 million based on December actuals. Helio also reported:

An average of over 550 text messages per member per month
95 percent of subscribers access the web via mobile device
Each month, 60 percent of subscribers access MySpace via Helio and average nearly 500 page views
In December, subscribers uploaded photos from their device to the web at a rate of five times the industry average
57 percent of Ocean users downloaded Helio's exclusive YouTube application within two weeks of its launch

For more on Dayton's resignation:
- read this release

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ESPN Mobile TV goes 24/7

Tue, 08 Jan 2008 06:59:58 -0500

Digital broadcast service provider MobiTV announced the debut of ESPN Mobile TV, a new 24/7 sports channel spanning live, simulcast events, breaking sports news, handset-exclusive programming, commentary and real-time scores and game updates. ESPN Mobile TV replaces the Worldwide Leader in Sports' existing, non-linear MobiTV channel--alongside coverage of college football and basketball, the NBA, NASCAR, MLS and the Arena Football League, the schedule also includes panel shows Mike & Mike in the Morning, Pardon the Interruption and Around the Horn, as well as new mobile-specific exclusive series ESPN ReSet, ScoreCenter and Fantasy Football Now.

For more on the revamped ESPN Mobile TV:
- read this release

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AT&T to debut mobile TV 'as early as possible' in 2008

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 06:59:59 -0500

AT&T said it plans to launch its long-planned live mobile TV service "as early as possible" in 2008, citing efforts to improve the user experience as the culprit behind the delay. AT&T told Multichannel News the MediaFLO-based service will launch with eight live, linear channels: CBS Mobile, Fox Mobile, NBC2Go, NBC News2Go, ESPN Mobile TV, MTV, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon. Neither pricing information nor an official brand for the service has yet been announced. Also unknown is the role of spectrum licenses totaling $2.5 billion acquired by AT&T in October from Aloha Partners, parent firm of DVB-H-based mobile broadcast TV service Hiwire.

AT&T and MediaFLO were expected to debut their mobile TV offering in the fourth quarter of 2007. "The testing of the software and hardware is going very, very well, but we decided to take just a little extra time to make sure the user experience is absolutely optimal," said AT&T executive director of media relations Mark Siegel.

For more on AT&T's mobile TV rollout:
- read this Multichannel News article

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V Cast Mobile TV to air 24 college bowl games

Tue, 18 Dec 2007 06:59:58 -0500

Verizon Wireless and mobile broadcaster MediaFLO USA announced a V Cast Mobile TV holiday programming slate featuring 24 live college football bowl games provided by ESPN Mobile TV, CBS Mobile and FOX Mobile. Beginning with the Poinsettia Bowl on Dec. 20 and wrapping up with the GMAC Bowl on Jan. 6, the schedule is highlighted by the Dec. 29 Alamo Bowl, pitting Penn State against Texas A&M; the Jan. 1 Outback Bowl, pairing Wisconsin and Tennessee; and the Jan. 1 Cotton Bowl, with Missouri squaring off against Arkansas. Conspicuous by their absence are the four marquee bowl games and national title matchup that comprise the always-controversial Bowl Championship Series.

For more on V Cast's college bowl programming:
- read this release

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