ESPN’s Multimedia Coverage of the
UEFA European Football Championship 2008

All 31 Matches in HD; Most Comprehensive Coverage of the European Championship in the U.S.

ESPN Inc. will provide unprecedented coverage of the UEFA European Football Championship 2008 (Euro 2008) from eight cities in Switzerland and Austria across its multimedia assets Saturday, June 7 – Sunday, June 29.  Euro 2008 content will be available to fans on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Classic, ESPN’s Latin American and Caribbean networks, SportsCenter, ESPNEWS, ESPN.com, ESPN360.com, ESPN Mobile TV, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Deportes Radio, ESPNDeportes.com and more. 

        Highlights:

• All 31 matches live and available in high definition
• Live online simulcast of 29 matches on ESPN’s signature broadband service – ESPN360.com
• ESPN’s first global marketing campaign in support of the marquee quadrennial sports event
• Live and delayed mobile streaming of all 31 matches via ESPN Mobile TV

About Euro 2008

With 10 of the 16 teams in Europe’s quadrennial soccer championship ranked among the top 15 teams in the FIFA World Rankings, the UEFA European Football Championship is one of the most prestigious and competitive tournaments among national soccer teams.  Teams representing the 16 nations compete in the Championship.  Of these, 14 earned a spot in the finals following a two-year qualification process among 50 UEFA member nations while the host nations – Austria and Switzerland – received automatic berths.  Since its inception in 1960, the competition is held every four years.  Greece won the last Championship – UEFA Euro 2004 – hosted by Portugal.

ABC

ABC will broadcast two matches – a quarterfinal contest Saturday, June 21, and the Euro 2008 title match Sunday, June 29, at 2:30 p.m. ET from Ernst-Happel-Stadion in Vienna, Austria.  (The title match, part of an ABC soccer doubleheader, will be preceded by a Major League Soccer match featuring the David Beckham-led LA Galaxy at DC United, beginning at 12 p.m.).

ESPN-ESPN2-ESPN Classic

ESPN2, ESPN and ESPN Classic will combine to televise the remaining 29 matches live – 17 on ESPN2, five on ESPN Classic, and seven on ESPN.

• Euro 2008 Today – In addition to five live match telecasts, ESPN Classic will present Euro 2008 Today, a nightly, 30-minute news, highlights and analysis program at 7 p.m.

ESPN’s match coverage will feature Euro 2008 Studio Update – the pre-, halftime and post-game studio news, highlights and analysis program.

ESPN Deportes

ESPN Deportes, the exclusive Spanish-language television home of Euro 2008 in the United States, will televise 31 matches, 25 live.  On days with concurrent matches (June 15-18), the network will feature one match live per day with the second on tape delay.

• In addition to its pre-game, halftime and post-game segments, ESPN Deportes will also feature a daily, one-hour Euro 2008 studio program at 10:30 p.m., preceded by a special edition of Fuera de Juego at 9:30 p.m.
• ESPN Deportes Radio will stream all Euro 2008 matches, including live on-site coverage from the semifinals through title matches

News and Information

• SportsCenter – The English- and Spanish-language versions of ESPN’s flagship program will offer in-depth coverage led by Pedro Gomez (English) and Juan Yankilevich (Spanish), both providing up-to-date reporting from site.
• ESPNEWS – Euro 2008 segments will be featured on the 24-hour sports news television network, including insider analysis from match and studio analysts.
• Around the Horn – The daily, weekday opinion and debate program will discuss Euro 2008 news. 
• Pardon the Interruption – Co-hosts Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon will debate Euro 2008 topics, focusing primarily on events and personalities that capture the imagination of U.S. fans
• 1ST and 10 – Co-hosts Jay Crawford and Dana Jacobson will moderate the opinionated Skip Bayless and his rotating co-debaters as they opine about Euro 2008 news and issues.
• First Take – The ESPN2 signature morning show (weekdays, 10 a.m. – 12 noon) will preview key matchups on select days

ESPN International

In one of its most comprehensive collection of rights for a marquee sports event, ESPN International’s Latin America and Caribbean networks, which reaches 44 countries in the region, will provide extensive coverage of Euro 2008 including live matches and comprehensive news and information in the Latin America region (except Brazil) and Canada.  Highlights:

Latin America North/South:

• Live coverage of all 31 matches from June 7 – 29.
• Of these, 26 matches will air live on ESPN Latin America North/South and the Caribbean with primetime re-airs of each match.  Remaining five matches will air live on ESPN+, ESPN Dos and ESPN2 Caribbean.
• Half-hour preview shows leading into each match and special live Spanish-language studio programming Fuera de Juego in-between each match.

        Daily studio programming:

• Special editions of SportsCenter will air at the conclusion of each match.
• Daily Spanish-language primetime studio programming – Fuera de Juego, Cronometro, and Hablemos de la Euro.

***ESPN’s Caribbean networks will provide the same coverage as the U.S. English networks including live pre-, halftime and post-match shows, and a 30-minute primetime news and highlights program.

Canada:

• TSN and Rogers SportsNet will combine to televise all 31 Euro 2008 matches live – 16 on TSN including the title match and 15 on Rogers SportsNet
• Each match will be re-aired once on either network
• Euro Highlight show will air daily on TSN and/or Rogers SportsNet

Euro 2008 on ESPN International New Media Platforms – ESPN360.com in Mexico; ESPNdeportes.com; TSN.ca; RDS.ca:

• All 31 matches will be available on pay-per-view through the ESPN and TSN digital platforms in Canada.
• ESPNdeportes.com will simulcast all 31 matches live in Spanish via pay per view in the Latin America region
• TSN.ca, the online service of TSN in Canada, will simulcast all 31 matches live in English
• RDS.ca, the online service of Rogers SportsNet in Canada, will air simulcast 31 matches in English or French
• ESPN360.com in Mexico will simulcast all 31 matches live in English and Spanish.

U.S. Domestic Digital and New Media Platforms:

ESPN.com/Soccernet.com

ESPN.com sites will feature a wide array of Euro 2008 coverage from three sites (ESPN.com, ESPNsoccernet.com, ESPNDeportes.com), in two languages, reaching millions of sports fans online.  Highlights:

• Daily online video show – “Euro Minute” 
• Enhanced GameCast with real-time data and live commentary for all matches, in both English and Spanish
• Original video from ESPN and ESPN Deportes analysts, as well as ESPN and ESPN Deportes studio programming
• Podcast specials:  Extended interviews, press conferences, and Soccernet’s twice weekly Podcast – “ESPNSoccernet Extra” – will serve as Euro 2008 online program throughout the tournament
• Tournament news, full match reports, previews and up-to-date teams news
• In-depth profiles, news and information about all 16 teams in English and Spanish
• Euro 2008 pick-em bracket and fantasy games
• Daily photo galleries.

ESPN360.com

ESPN’s signature broadband network will provide live online simulcasts of the 29 ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN Classic matches of the UEFA Euro 2008 from June 7- 29.  The two ABC broadcasts will be shown on a delayed basis.

• All matches will be archived for up to seven days following live action

ESPN Mobile TV

All 31 matches streamed live or tape-delayed as well as match previews, scoring updates and Euro 2008 news alerts, live play-by-play text feeds and post-match highlight packages.

Global Consumer Marketing Campaign

ESPN and ABC Sports award-winning consumer marketing department launched its first ever global marketing campaign for Euro 2008.  The multimedia campaign is the most comprehensive image-building promotional initiative for the quadrennial event by a U.S. media outlet.

The campaign, created in English and Spanish with print and outdoor executions in every UEFA Euro team’s native language by New York-based advertising agency Anomaly, leverages the universal language of soccer to demonstrate the global importance of European football.  It is an effort to create greater relevance and interest for the sport and the event among American sports fans.  The spots use national anthems as the thread that ties countries to their football including Germany, Greece, France, Italy, Spain and Portugal.  Click here www.espn.com/EURO2008 to visit ESPN’s Euro 2008 site for the campaign’s TV spots and updated information about the competition.   

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