Everybody knows what ESPN is. Almost everybody knows what Shapchat is. But both try to expand their audience. So that’s why ESPN and Snapchat combine media skills.
ESPN will premiere a mini Sports Center. The premiere should happen at 5pm Eastern time today. Then they will have the show twice a day, 5 in the morning and 5 in the evening. This ESPN and Snapchat version will only last around five minutes. It will have sports news, game highlights (and not so highlights, hopefully) and debates. They’ll also have ESPN staff like Katie Nolan (who just came from FS1) and Jason Fritz. So basically, it will be like Sports Center, just five minutes long.
But why do ESPN and Snapchat agree to this? Because both step out of their zone. Snapchat usually caters to teen and twenty somethings. However, with this mini-ESPN show, they can reach the older, more sophisticated audience they crave. Of course, the older audience has more money to buy their sponsors’ products. Then there’s ESPN. Their most popular demographic is men between 30-60 years old. They would love to make lifelong viewers among the teen and college kids. Also, they’re trying to get into the social media age. Yes, there is obviously the ESPN app. But going forward in 2018 and beyond, just having an app isn’t going to cut it.
Certainly not for a major TV channel trying to integrate IT services with sports and entertainment. Others are doing it as well. CNN and NBC News already have five minute news reports on Snapchat. It’s safe to see this is to get a younger audience interested in news. With political, social and global tensions today, that won’t be a problem. The mega sports channel ESPN is a huge conversation piece in our computer service shop. But will this ESPN and Snapchat combination work?