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Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
ESPN, ‘SportsCenter' and Understanding the Power of Sports Fandom
To understand how diffuse the world of sports media has become, look no further than ESPN's 'SportsCenter.' ESPN's flagship newscast airs multiple iterations throughout the day on linear platforms. It has dedicated social content across major platforms including Snapchat. It also has its own 'SC+' tile on Disney+ for a version that is aimed at younger and more casual sports fans. 'SportsCenter' aims to find its audience where they are — and it's about to get even more personal, as Jo Fox, ESPN's senior VP of marketing, explained during the 'Understanding the Power of Sports Fandom' session at the Variety Entertainment Marketing Summit presented by Deloitte. More from Variety How to Watch UFC Fight Night: Machado Garry vs. Prates Live Online Without Cable The Catch-22 of Modern Marketing Campaigns: 'We Are Targeting Our Way to Oblivion' Variety's Entertainment Marketing Summit Takeaways: How to Activate Fandoms, Engage with the Creator Economy and Reach Gen Z Consumers In a conversation with Adam Deutsch, managing director of Deloitte Consulting, Fox noted that ESPN's upcoming launch as a digital standalone outlet will bring even more customization to the show. 'It will shortly be a personalized 'SportsCenter' for you as we go direct to consumer,' Fox said. 'The way we try and do that is we are well placed to serve all those audiences in a broad area, but we think about what's the talent we use, what are the brands that we do, and how do we make sure we're serving fans, delivering the information they want, but in the way they want it on the platform and in the tone that they want it in.' Fox noted that ESPN reached some 200 million adults in March on its digital platforms alone; ESPN's social team generates some 400 to 500 clips a day. Clips are a crucial way to reach millennial and Gen Z sports buffs. 'That younger generation wants to see clips even if they're not watching the live sport,' Fox said. 'It's also about giving them not just the news they need to know about sports, but also what they want to know about pop culture.' Deutsch observed, 'When you have the production engine that ESPN has, you can be there in a way that is relevant and authentic to those platforms.' Deloitte's reseach has found that some 40% of Gen Z consumers say access to live sports is the motivator that gets them to subscribe to a streaming platform, Deutsch added in the conversation moderated by Andrew Wallenstein, president and chief media analyst for Variety Intelligence Platform. On the other hand, Deutsch noted, some 27% of consumers say they don't need to subscribe to sports-centric services because they can get all the clips and highlights they want across free TV and digital outlets. 'They're so busy with gaming and podcasts and radio and TV and everything else that they actually say, 'I have so much access to highlights. I can still do the things that I want, but I don't necessarily have to subscribe because it's frictionless to get the highlights that keep me invested in the sports that I'm passionate about.' So there's the yin and the yang of what we see there,' Deutsch said. Best of Variety What's Coming to Netflix in May 2025 New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week What's Coming to Disney+ in May 2025
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt Developing a Hulu Project About Losing Their Home in Pacific Palisades
'The Hills' reality stars Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt are developing a project with Hulu about their lives in the aftermath of losing their home in the Pacific Palisades in the fires that devastated Los Angeles in January. Pratt shared the news while the couple was participating in a conversation at the Variety Entertainment Marketing Summit presented by Deloitte on Thursday. More from Variety Issa Rae and Hoorae Team on 'Scrappy' Marketing Plan for Debut Film 'One of Them Days,' And If There Will Be a Sequel 'The Notebook' Author Nicholas Sparks Outlines His Rules for Writing Novels: 'What Are the Ages of the Characters Who Will Fall in Love?' Entertainment Marketing Summit to Gather Major Industry Leaders, Lessons Learned From 'A Minecraft Movie' and 'Longlegs' The two said they would be open to doing a series that revolves around rebuilding their lives after the loss. They also have been looking to do a series on their family in general. 'The music would be part of it, our family life, our dynamic, our team,' Montag said during the session moderated by Kate Aurthur, editor at large for Variety. A series is not officially in the works yet. 'If not Hulu, I hear YouTube is really easy to work with,' Pratt said, drawing laughs from the audience who had heard about YouTube's marketing strategies earlier during the event held at Neuehouse in Hollywood. The pair also shared an update about their general situation. When asked about whether they would rebuild their home, Montag said the couple were unsure if they could, given the high cost and insurance issues. 'We're kind of just going to take it one day at a time,' Montag said. The couple and their children live in Santa Barbara at the moment. 'The good news is the hummingbirds are coming back,' Pratt said. Pratt talked about rallying people to financial support the family by streaming Montag's album, 'Superficial.' He admitted that he found it was difficult to turn a profit. 'One thing I learned about the music business is, it takes a lot to make money,' he said. 'Yes, we made some money, but I probably should have just done more cameos,' Pratt added. Montag teared up speaking about how the couple dealt with the situation and how Pratt would livestream on TikTok to boost support for the family. 'I was really with the kids and having to put them in a new school and move them, and it's emotional, and just be able to talk them through kind of what was going on. So I was really proud of Spencer, and it was incredible for him to be able to do that for our family, and to have our kids be able to have that as an example as well, and to show that you can move forward,' Montag said. Pratt also explained his approach to using social media, a tool that didn't exist in the days of 'The Hills,' to build an audience. 'I feel like the more you engage with the communities, whatever platform you're on, and just be in the comment section… I'm responding as many DMss and writing back and sending emails. And I feel like that keeps people understanding who you are, and they want to support you,' Pratt said. Most recently, the couple appeared on the Hulu reality competition series 'Got to Get Out.' Pratt said he's been pitching an idea for a show tied to Montag's music. 'I don't know if Hulu, ABC, Disney have blocked me because the amount of texts, emails I've sent like 'Hey, we can do our own show with like, Heidi being a pop star in 15 countries where she's No. 1,' ' Pratt said. The couple also talked about how they were able use the paparazzi ecosystem to their advantage over the years. Pratt broke down the series of events that led to his partnerships with paparazzi, and Montag explained their reasoning for establishing those relationships. 'When we started talking to Perez, we were really looked down upon for talking [to him],' Montag said. She said the couple were advised to 'stay away,' but they, thought 'Why wouldn't we be in with him? Doesn't that make more sense?' Up next, Montag has a performance at Mighty Hoopla festival in June. She said it will be her 'biggest performance' to date. 'I'm very excited for that,' Montag said. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week What's Coming to Disney+ in April 2025 The Best Celebrity Memoirs to Read This Year: From Chelsea Handler to Anthony Hopkins
