ESPN5, the multimedia licensing and co-branding collaboration between ESPN and TV5, is launching local, ESPN5-branded editions of ESPN.com as well as subscription sports streaming service ESPN Player that can be accessed by sports fans in the Philippines. With the launching of these local digital properties on January 31, Filipino sports fans will have an exciting new digital gateway for all the latest news, scores, video and more from the Philippines sporting scene and around the world – anytime and anywhere.
With a vibrant sports landscape in the Philippines, the new site and streaming player reinforce ESPN5’s market leadership, authority and expertise and represent the best and most comprehensive digital sports offering in the Philippines.
The new properties bring an elegant, lively and more personal digital sports experience to Filipino sports fans across mobile phones, tablets and computers and are part of ESPN’s leading global digital sports portfolio. Each month, ESPN digital content reaches and engages more sports fans around the world than any other brand.
The digital launches are the latest developments in the collaboration between TV5 and ESPN after TV5 successfully launched the co-branded ESPN5 channel in October and produced a local edition of the iconic SportsCenter show in December. The long-term agreement leverages a winning combination of two respected media brands, and serves Filipino sports fans via their combined expertise and high-quality compelling content.
“ESPN has a strong connection with fans around the world because we are fans ourselves, driven by a similar obsession for sports,” said Joyee Biswas, Head of Southeast Asia, ESPN. “The launch of our new co-branded digital multi-sports products for Philippine sports fans showcases our digital leadership and offers sports fans outstanding news, features and video experiences around top sports of interest to Filipino sports fans. These new products perfectly complement TV5’s recently launched ESPN5 channel and reinforce our signature ‘Game around the Game’ analysis across platforms.”
Vincent “Chot” Reyes, President of TV5 said “We are proud to be able to feature Philippine sports news, stories from the PBA, PSL, GILAS, and all other sporting events TV5 covers as part of ESPN’s digital platforms. Now we can truly give our audience the broadest array of sports content when they want it, where they want it.”
From mainstream sports in the Philippines, to the best of ESPN’s comprehensive coverage of global sports that interest Filipino fans, ESPN.com and the ESPN app (the app is launching later this year) will bring fans closer to the games, leagues and athletes they love via world-class digital products. Both the website and app will offer the best of local and global sports including (but not limited to) PBA, NBA, NFL, Volleyball, soccer, tennis, eSports and more. Fans will be served a one-stop destination for world-class news, features and videos across sports currently underserved by any digital offering in the region.
The new ESPN.com brings Filipino sports fans a clean, dynamic presentation and the editorial team powering coverage on the website and app combines writers, reporters and editors fromboth TV5 and ESPN. Together, the combination will offer sports fans a combination of local and globalsports content including scores, analysis, news, video, blogs and more.
Both the new ESPN.com and ESPN app offer sports fans a simple, clean and fast design – where content is the hero. Built on technology and content management platform that power the world’s #1 portfolio of digital sports properties, they reflect ESPN’s mobile-first focus with digital products, and allow easy discovery and navigation of ESPN’s enormous library of content and brings Filipino fans easy, powerful personalization.
ESPN.com: The new ESPN.com features responsive design, automatically adjusting to any screen, delivering a dynamically optimized experience for fans on Android and iOS smartphones and tablets, as well as laptops and desktops. The design and user experience is familiar to the app experience – delivering continuity for the Filipino user – regardless of how they engage ESPN on digital devices.
TheESPN Player, a subscription sports streaming service, will offer LIVE and on demand sports including NCAA College Sports, X Games and IndyCar. NCAA College sports will include Basketball (March Madness and Final Four),Volleyball, Football, Lacrosse and ESPN College studio shows. Full linear simulcasts of theSEC Network, ESPNU and Longhorn Network will also be available on ESPN Player. Additionally, fans will be able to stream ESPN’s X Games, a thrilling display of the best athletes in action sports, including at least fourscheduled events in 2018: X Games Aspen, X Games Norway, X GamesMinneapolis and X Games Sydney. Filipino sports fans will also be able to watch every race from the Verizon IndyCar series LIVE and on-demand. The exclusive coverage includes driver cams and comprehensive coverage of the iconic Indy500 race.
ESPN player promotional codes with 12-month access will be bundled with selected SMART Postpaid plans (including iPhone Plans), and later to Smart Prepaid and Smart Bro. The ESPN Player is compatible with Apple TV (though AirPlay) and ChromeCast with a monthly recurring pass at 99 Philippine Pesos per month. Devices supported include Mobile, Desktop and Tablet. ESPN Player will give sports fans access to enjoy sports they love anytime, anywhere.
The new ESPN.com and ESPN app will allow ESPN to continue to push digital advertising forward and provide greater scope for flexibility and innovation, delivering seamless solutions for advertisers across devices, and leverage the strengths of sports and ESPN – the world’s leading sports brand, unmatched content, mobile connection and social.
ESPN.com will deliver impactful, effective solutions for advertisers based on a new Universal Advertising Package (UAP), which offers the best advertising experience for each device, screen and orientation. The approach streamlines creative delivery and ad serving on the new ESPN.in, and ensures the best representation for brands, no matter the device. The move is designed to enable advertisers to take advantage of the increased effectiveness of multiplatform campaigns compared to single-platform.