Tag: ESPN

ESPN To Air Classic WWE WrestleMania Events

ESPN is set to air classic WWE WrestleMania events to build to WrestleMania 36, according to a press release sent to us by WWE today.

ESPN will air classic WrestleMania events over the next three Sundays, on their flagship cable network, and then on their mobile app.

The first showing will be this Sunday at 7pm ET as ESPN airs WrestleMania XXX from 2014. WrestleMania 32 will then air on Sunday, March 29 at 7pm ET, and WrestleMania 35 will air on Sunday, April 5 at 3pm ET.

Variety noted that this is the latest example of ESPN working to fill its schedule with “unorthodox content” in the wake of the nation’s coronavirus pandemic, which has put a stop to many sporting events.

“It is a privilege for us to deliver historic WrestleMania content to our world-class partners at ESPN and provide more premium programming to our fans; putting smiles on their faces particularly during this trying time,” said WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon. “We look forward to celebrating WrestleMania history with ESPN as we head into our two-night pop culture extravaganza on April 4 and 5.”

Below is the full announcement sent to us by WWE:

ESPN To Air Encore Presentations of WrestleManiaSpecial Content Initiative Begins This Sunday with WrestleMania 30 on ESPN

ESPN today, in collaboration with WWE, announced it is airing encore presentations of historic WrestleMania events over the next three Sundays on ESPN and streaming via the ESPN App. The special content initiative begins this Sunday, March 22, at 7 p.m. ET with the airing of WrestleMania 30. The full schedule is below:

WrestleMania 30 (airs Sunday, March 22, 7 p.m. ET) – from April 6, 2014

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Hulk Hogan and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin kick off the 30th anniversary of the “Showcase of the Immortals” before a record-breaking crowd at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, home of the New Orleans Saints. Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar attempts to end the most celebrated streak in WWE history, Undertaker’s 21 consecutive victories at WrestleMania; witness the emotional culmination of Daniel Bryan’s “Yes! movement” in a championship triple threat match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Randy Orton and Batista.

WrestleMania 32 (airs Sunday, March 29, 7 p.m. ET) – from April 3, 2016

The largest crowd in WWE history filled Jerry World at AT&T Stadium for WrestleMania 32, as more than 101,000 fans witness the “Show of Shows.” Roman Reigns takes on Triple H for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in the main event; Charlotte Flair vs. Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks in a match to crown the first-ever WWE Women’s Champion; the world famous Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders welcome The Rock to AT&T Stadium; and Shane McMahon stuns the WWE Universe with a death-defying leap in his Hell in a Cell match against Undertaker.

WrestleMania 35 (airs Sunday, April 5, 3 p.m. ET) – from April 7, 2019

WrestleMania at MetLife Stadium features a significant moment in WWE’s Women’s Evolution as the “baddest woman on the planet” Ronda Rousey takes on Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair in a “Winner Take All” Triple Threat match for the Raw and SmackDown Women’s Championships, marking the first time women were the main event at WrestleMania; Kofi Kingston finally gets a shot at realizing his lifelong dream of becoming WWE Champion against Daniel Bryan; and Batista faces his one-time friend and mentor Triple H in a “no holds barred” match.

“This unique opportunity is a byproduct of the terrific working relationship we’ve enjoyed with WWE over the years and the unprecedented circumstances we all find ourselves in,” said Burke Magnus, executive vice president, programming, ESPN. “WrestleMania is one of the most popular global events in sports and entertainment and the spectacular content it provides will be a treat for fans.”

“It is a privilege for us to deliver historic WrestleMania content to our world-class partners at ESPN and provide more premium programming to our fans; putting smiles on their faces particularly during this trying time,” said Stephanie McMahon, Chief Brand Officer, WWE. “We look forward to celebrating WrestleMania history with ESPN as we head into our two-night pop culture extravaganza on April 4 and 5.”

These three encore presentations will air in advance of this year’s WrestleMania, which for the first time ever, will be held as a two-night event streaming live on Saturday, April 4 and Sunday, April 5 at 7 p.m. ET on WWE Network and available on pay-per-view. WrestleMania will be hosted by three-time Super Bowl Champion Rob Gronkowski. As WWE previously announced, only essential personnel will be on closed sets at multiple locations, including WWE’s training facility in Orlando, during the production of WrestleMania.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE Reportedly Negotiating With ESPN For Content Streaming On ESPN+

WWE is reportedly having talks with ESPN.

The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that the talks would be in regards to WWE content airing on the ESPN+ service. The deal that WWE is likely trying to broker would be similar to the deal UFC has with ESPN, where WWE would sell their rights to air pay-per-views, which would pay more money for the content than WWE could make on its own by selling the content directly to viewers with the WWE Network. The ESPN+ model with UFC is reportedly what opened WWE’s eyes to the idea.

The ESPN+ deal could potentially bring more mainstream exposure to WWE’s big events and their biggest Superstars. ESPN has proved that when they own rights to a product, they use their various shows to heavily market that product. There’s no word yet on how far the talks with ESPN are, but The Observer noted that it looks like the deal has not been agreed on as of this week.

Wrestling Inc. earlier this month at this link, there was no truth to the rumors on WWE possibly talking to Amazon about selling content rights to them. While Amazon might not be interested in WWE, the company has been talking with other potential partners, which would include DAZN, and NBC’s Peacock service. ESPN+ was also included in the original report on potential content partners.

The belief was that NBC’s Peacock service, which is set to launch later this year, would be the best bet for WWE. TV industry sources recently reported to The Observer that Peacock would look at WWE to be its key initial programming to draw subscribers from the launch moving forward, which would be very similar to how ESPN+ did with UFC. With such a deal with one of these larger streaming services, WWE would be able to get significantly guaranteed money for their big money events, instead of being forced to rely on declining subscription money from the WWE Network. You can read Wrestling Inc.’s original report on the possible content changes by clicking here.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

XFL Picks Announce Team For ESPN And FOX

With an entertaining league like the XFL set to come back, it was only fitting the most entertaining commentators would be involved. According to the New York Post, the Fox and ESPN broadcast teams for each main XFL game will have a lot of experience.

On the ESPN side, Steve Levy, Dan Orlovsky and Pat McAfee will be on the call. Meanwhile, on Fox, Curt Menefee and Joel Klatt will be talking all things XFL. According to the report, Fox had an interest in Gus Johnson, but due to his commitment to college basketball, the schedules didn’t work out. No word yet who will host the FS1 and ABC games.

Levy has worked with ESPN for a number of years, especially as a longtime anchor of SportsCenter. Known for his role on ABC/ESPN’s College Gameday program, Levy has worked doubleheader games of “Monday Night Football” with Brian Griese. He has also broadcasted a number of hockey games.

A fifth-round pick in the 2005 NFL Draft, Orlovsky has played for the Lions, Texans, Colts and Buccaneers. The former quarterback from UConn retired from football in 2017, becoming an analyst for ESPN.

One of the most entertaining voices in social media today, Pat McAfee has made his voice known allover. From Barstool Sports to WWE to his own radio show, the former NFL kicker has become more popular than ever before. Starting another talk show on DAZN (syndicated by Westwood One), McAfee has also been a part of ESPN’s Thursday Night Football crew. Both he and Orlovsky have clicked before when it comes to commentary, joining together for “Get Up!” on ESPN.

This opportunity is a step up for Curt Menefee, who is currently providing commentary for Fox’s Sunday NFL Pregame Show. Menefee has provided preseason analysis for both the Jaguars and the Seahawks, while also working commentary for NFL Europe games. He has also used his voice for boxing, MMA and has signed on and off of Super Bowl’s whenever he is available.

Menefee will be working with Joel Klatt, a former college quarterback for Colorado. Starting his post-playing days as a football analyst, Klatt helped usher in FS1. He is FOX Sports’ lead college football game analyst, teaming with Gus Johnson. Moving up in the ranks every year, Klatt also provides coverage on golf.

The relaunched XFL season is expected to start in February of 2020, the weekend after the Super Bowl.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Details On Stephanie McMahon’s ESPN “My Wish” Episode

ESPN’s “My Wish” series will return for another season this Saturday, July 13 and Stephanie McMahon will be featured on an episode, granting a wish through ESPN and Make-A-Wish. Stephanie’s episode will air on SportsCenter, on Tuesday, July 16.

The episode will feature 17 year old Rhianna Sammut from the UK, who suffers from systemic mastocytosis. She came to America for two days and received the ultimate WWE fan experience, including a meeting with her role model – Stephanie.

Below is the full announcement on the series:

“My Wish” Returns to SportsCenter July 13 with NFL, MLB, NHL, WWE StarsSaquon Barkley, Nolan Arenado, Dude Perfect and more Grant Sports-Themed Wishes to Make-A-Wish® Children

The award-winning ESPN “My Wish” Series returns for its 14th season on Saturday, July 13, and this year will feature stars from the NFL, NHL, Major League Baseball and the WWE as well as popular sports trick shot artists Dude Perfect. Since its beginning in 2006, the series has partnered with Make-A-Wish® to fulfill 68 sports-themed wishes for children with critical illnesses.

In addition to Dude Perfect, this year’s series of wishes will feature New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley, the 2018 NFL Rookie of the Year; five-time National League all-star Nolan Arenado of the Colorado Rockies; and three-time Stanley Cup champion goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury of the Vegas Golden Knights. Also granting a wish is Stephanie McMahon, WWE chief brand officer and a former Women’s Champion.

Working together with Make-A-Wish, ESPN produces feature segments on the wishes for airing on SportsCenter, with new features debuting on the weekend of Saturday and Sunday, July 13-14, and then each day of the week through Thursday, July 18. All features will re-air multiple times in various editions of SportsCenter and will be available on ESPN.com.

Chris Connelly has been host of the ESPN “My Wish” Series since its beginning. The series is presented by Dove Men+Care.

The 2019 ESPN “My Wish” on SportsCenter segments include:

* Saturday and Sunday, July 13-14 – Saquon Barkley: As 14-year-old George Taylor, a high school football player from Cohoes, N.Y., battles Ewing’s sarcoma, he hopes to emulate the attitude, drive and determination of his favorite NFL star, Saquon Barkley of the New York Giants, who makes George feel like he’s back in the game. The piece also is the weekend’s SC Featured

* Monday, July 15 – Dude Perfect: Nolan Harm, a 11-year-old from Brick Township, N.J., living with cystic fibrosis, has a passion for making the seemingly impossible happen. So who better to spend the day with than viral sensations and trick shot artists Dude Perfect?

* Tuesday, July 16 – WWE/Stephanie McMahon: Rhianna Sammut is a 17-year-old from the UK whose systemic mastocytosis has caused her severe pain, bullying and near-total isolation. Rhianna’s outlook changes as she lives out her WWE dreams for two days in America, where she’s celebrated by her favorite wrestlers and gets to meet her role model: WWE chief brand officer Stephanie McMahon.

* Wednesday, July 17 – Vegas Golden Knights/Marc-Andre Fleury: Doron Coldwell, a 13-year-old from Las Vegas who’s faced Hodgkin’s lymphoma, joins the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights to light up the strip and replace his favorite player, Marc-Andre Fleury, in net for a day.

* Thursday, July 18 – Nolan Arenado: Sam Grayston, a 17-year-old from Laguna Hills, Calif., was born with cystic fibrosis. A hellish infancy and ongoing challenges haven’t kept him from becoming a rising star on his high school baseball team, or spending the day taking batting practice at Coors Field with his MLB hero: Nolan Arenado of the Colorado Rockies.

In addition, a one-hour My Wish special will air Sunday, Aug. 11, at 2 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT on ABC and will include all of the 2019 “My Wish” Series wishes. Special versions of the wish videos will be shared on ESPN social media platforms.

The Walt Disney Company, together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, including ESPN, has supported Make-A-Wish for three decades. As a part of the Disney Team of Heroes initiative that delivers comfort and inspiration to families around the world, Disney grants more than 10,000 wishes annually to support children facing serious illness.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Becky Lynch Becomes First WWE Star To Land ESPN The Magazine Cover (Photo)

RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch just became the first WWE Superstar to appear on the cover of ESPN The Magazine.

As seen below, Lynch and actress Alison Brie of Netflix’s GLOW series are gracing the cover of the “Blockbuster Issue” from ESPN The Magazine. The issue hits newsstands this Friday.

Below is WWE’s announcement on the cover, along with the cover photo:

Becky Lynch and Alison Brie to be featured on cover of ESPN The Magazine’s “Blockbuster” issueBecky Lynch has taken over the sports-entertainment scene in the last year, and this Friday, you can find the Raw Women’s Champion with actress Alison Brie on the cover of ESPN The Magazine’s “Blockbuster” issue.

The new issue focuses on the intersection between Hollywood and sports. Lynch and Brie, who is the star of Netflix’s hit comedy show “GLOW” on the 1980s Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling promotion, got together for an interview about the obstacles they face in their respective industries, the toughness of women, and much more.

The Man is the first WWE Superstar to ever appear on the cover of ESPN The Magazine. Get your hands on the issue when it hits newsstands this Friday.

https://twitter.com/espnW/status/1148603606385463296

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE Receives Its Own Category At This Year’s ESPYS

For the first time, WWE is getting a “Best WWE Moment” under the Best Performance category at this year’s ESPYS, which will be hosted by Tracy Morgan on July 10 at 8 pm ET on ABC.

The nominees for the award are: Roman Reigns’ return after his battle with Leukemia, Becky Lynch wins the WWE RAW and SmackDown Women’s Championships at WrestleMania 35, Kofi Kingston wins his first WWE Championship at WrestleMania 35, and Ronda Rousey becomes WWE RAW Women’s Champion.

Voting is done by the fans via ESPN’s site, which you can do by clicking here.

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1141319802138615808

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE Champions Becky Lynch and Kofi Kingston Talking Winning Titles At WrestleMania 35 on ESPN Show ‘Get Up!’

Becky Lynch and Kofi Kingston appeared on the ESPN show Get Up! to discuss their wins at WrestleMania 35 with Kingston winning his 1st WWE championship and Lynch claiming the RAW and SmackDown Women’s Championships.

ESPN Outbids FOX To Secure UFC TV Rights With $1.5 Billion Deal

Image result for ESPN UFC

On the heels of FOX closing in on a five-year deal with WWE’s SmackDown Live brand worth over $1 billion, ESPN has reached a second agreement with UFC, Fortune reports.

Last October, the exclusive negotiating period between UFC and FOX expired, giving the brand an opportunity to shop their television rights package to other companies. WWE started talking with FOX around that time, as executives from both parties initially met at the close of 2017. For WWE, NBC Universal decided to retain their partnership with the Raw brand, while FOX commenced a billion-dollar five-year deal to acquire SmackDown.

Just a few weeks ago, Disney’s new Direct-To-Consumer & International segment along with ESPN reached a $150 million per year agreement to exclusively air 15 full-card events on their ESPN+ platform, effective January 2019. ESPN has now struck a second $150 million five-year deal with UFC to broadcast and stream more than 30 fights a year.

According to USA Today, the broadcast deal will include 10 full UFC cards along with the preliminary card for a dozen UFC pay-per-view shows. Combined with the April agreement, the deal is said to be worth $1.5 billion. Both deals begin on January 1st.

Source: WrestlingINC

UFC Finalizes Multi-Year Deal With ESPN

Image result for UFC on ESPN

The UFC and Disney’s new Direct-To-Consumer & International segment along with ESPN, have reached a multi-year media rights agreement for exclusive live UFC content on ESPN+, as well as across a variety of ESPN’s television, social and digital platforms, in English and Spanish, taking effect in January 2019.

“One of our goals for ESPN+ is to bring sports fans of all genres content they love and are passionate about, and this agreement with UFC is illustrative of exactly that, ” said Kevin Mayer, Chairman, Direct to Consumer and International, The Walt Disney Company. “We look forward to providing UFC’s enthusiastic, growing fan base with a wide array of live events and building a lasting relationship with the industry leader in mixed martial arts.”

“UFC is a premier global sports property with legions of incredibly avid fans,” added Jimmy Pitaro, ESPN President and Co-Chairman, Disney Media Networks. ” We are excited to be able to bring their world-class events and content to ESPN+ and the ESPN networks. This agreement shows the commitment we have to delivering fans the very best across our entire platform.”

While no deal with FOX has been announced, Variety reported in April that ESPN and FOX Sports were teaming up to bid for the UFC television package that would bring as many as 15+ fights to ESPN+. UFC’s current deal with FOX Sports expires in December. This deal provides for 15 live UFC events to stream exclusively on ESPN+ with a full card with 12 fights. The events will be branded “UFC on ESPN+ Fight Night” and will deliver a full card of 12 UFC bouts.

“I couldn’t be more excited to partner with The Walt Disney Company and ESPN on an agreement that will continue to grow our sport,” said UFC President Dana White. “UFC has always done deals with the right partners at the right time and this one is no exception. We will now have the ability to deliver fights to our young fan base wherever they are and whenever they want it. This deal is a home run for ESPN and UFC.”

Fans can subscribe to ESPN+ for just $4.99 a month (or $49.99 per year) by downloading the ESPN App at ESPNPlus.com. In addition to the live UFC cards, other UFC content available to ESPN+ subscribers will include:

  • Exclusive, all new-seasons of “Dana White’s Contender Series” beginning in June 2019
  • A new original, all-access series produced by IMG Original Content
  • Exclusive pre- and post-event shows for all 15 “UFC on ESPN+ Fight Nights”
  • Non-exclusive access to UFC’s full archive of programming, including historic events, classic bouts, and original programming
  • Additional UFC-branded content, including “UFC Countdown” shows, press conferences, weigh-ins, and pre-and post-shows

In addition to the live events and content included in the ESPN+ subscription, fight fans will be able to purchase and watch UFC Fight Pass and UFC PPV events via ESPN+, for a separate cost. ESPN will also bring fans a variety of UFC content across ESPN’s linear and digital platforms, including an exclusive, 30-minute special on ESPN’s linear networks previewing upcoming bouts and breaking down match ups leading up to each UFC PPV; hundreds of hours of UFC library programming on linear networks; and re-airs of current UFC PPV events.

Source: WrestlingINC

FOX May Partner With ESPN For UFC Television Rights Bid

Over the past several months, there have been discussions of WWE potentially ending their relationship with USA in order to commence a partnership with FOX. WWE’s deal with NBC Universal expires on September 30, 2019, and CFO George Barrios said that the company hopes to announce their U.S. distribution plans between May and September of this year. In late 2017, Triple H had a meeting with executives of FOX Sports to potentially rekindle a partnership. WWE worked with the company in the past, airing a couple of episodes of Saturday Night’s Main Event, as well as a WrestleMania 11 special in 1995.

To make the bidding war more competitive, Variety reports that ESPN has partnered up with rival FOX Sports to bid for television rights for UFC. The two companies have recently proposed to split the UFC TV package, which would bring as many as 15 fight events to the new subscription streaming service, ESPN+. As a company, ESPN has agreed that it would be willing to pay $120-180 million per year to add UFC to the collection of live-event rights. In addition, FOX is willing to increase their contribution from $120 million to $200 million.

The effort in ESPN partnering with FOX aims to turn around the decline in UFC interest, as ratings dropped 22% in average total viewers from last year, falling to just under 2 million. The UFC Fight Night specials on FS1 also fell 17%, averaging 795,000 viewers.

In 2011, FOX signed a seven-year deal with UFC, which expires this year. A partnership with ESPN would keep the relationship with FOX and UFC alive, particularly since FOX is in the transition of selling the bulk of its entertainment divisions to Disney. In addition, this partnership would be a stronger presentation in the potential bidding war with WWE. The $200 million dollar bid from FOX to secure the UFC TV rights is far lower than the asking price of Endeavor, UFC’s parent company.

Source: WrestlingINC