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1. The tonnage of ESPN's 2014 World Cup coverage is going to please international soccer fans. Among the items of note: ESPN will broadcast all 64 matches live (and in HD) from Brazil on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and WatchESPN, and network executives said more than 280 original hours of soccer coverage will air across ESPN platforms from June 12-July 13, 2014. Next year's coverage will also include a new 90-minute postgame (World Cup Live) show after each match and World Cup Primetime, which will take large chunks of the matches of the day and condense them into a two-hour highlight show. ESPN FC, the network's new daily soccer show, will also broadcast from Brazil, as will segments of SportsCenter.
"It's pretty clear that the word that rings through all of this is authenticity," said Jed Drake, the executive producer of ESPN's World Cup coverage. "It's a powerful word and it means a lot, and it can't be hollow. Candidly, you and many of your colleagues wrote very highly of what we did in 2010 and our goal next year is to maintain that level of authenticity. That means we will speak to soccer fans with the level of assumption that they understand the game well. We will analyze, opine, and discuss at great detail the events that are unfolding and what they mean."
That's code for we plan on not dumbing down our soccer coverage, which is excellent news. ESPN's four-person play-by-play rotation four years ago in South Africa was Martin Tyler, Ian Darke, Adrian Healey and Derek Rae, and while Drake said that it was too early for him so say with absolute definition that all would be back, he did confirm "I think it is quite likely that group will be part of it." Asked specifically about using the popular Tyler again, Drake said, "We are having meaningful discussions."
As far as who will call the U.S. national games in Brazil, I'd bet heavy on Darke and analyst Taylor Twellman. Drake did reveal that ESPN will need a fifth game crew given there are 12 soccer venues (two more than South Africa) and that Brazil is nearly as large as the United States.
Regarding studio talent, Drake said he planned to meet next week in London with former German national team star Michael Ballack to convince him to return to ESPN's World Cup studio coverage. Look for ESPN to also lock up Everton manager Roberto Martinez, who worked for ESPN in South Africa and for its Euro 2012 coverage. That's in addition to the usual cast led by Bob Ley and Alexi Lalas.
Drake said ESPN will house its studio production at Rio's Clube dos Marimbás, a popular sailing club on the southern tip of Copacabana Beach. The network is building two studios at the location -- one for ESPN Deportes and ESPN International, and the other for ESPN's English-language U.S. networks -- so expect a lot of shots of bikinis and white sand.
"Let's start with the fact that it is one of the most beautiful places on the planet," Drake said. "We selected this place because of the vista. I have never seen anything close to it for a backdrop for a host set. It is seven miles of Copacabana Beach arching up behind our set and at night all the buildings will be lit. You can fly a paper airplane on the backside of our set and hit the ocean."
The 2010 World Cup were a huge ratings success for ESPN as games on ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC averaged 3,261,000 viewers, a 41 percent increase from 2006. (The top-five markets for ESPN's coverage were: Miami-Ft. Lauderdale, New York, Washington, D.C., San Diego, and San Francisco).
Given that international soccer is more popular four years later and the time zone works to ESPN advantage -- most of Brazil is one-hour ahead of the Eastern Time Zone in the U.S -- the ratings are going to increase. It's also the network's final World Cup before Fox Sports takes over so ESPN staffers want to make this memorable.
"Are the ratings going to go up? Yes, they are," Drake said. "I have to check my ego here but I really think what we achieved in 2010 was a changing of the perception of the World Cup in this country. We know the level of ambition has to be higher because the expectation from our viewers was not that high the last time. Now, it is sky-high."
1a. Drake said World Cup Live (the post-match show) will air for 90 minutes. In 2010, ESPN was limited to a 30-minute post-match program. Drake said World Cup Live will bounce around different ESPN networks. "Suffice to say, by the time we have promoted it by the end of the third match, people will know where to go in terms of whether it is on ESPN, ESPN2 or whatever," Drake said.
1b. Drake said ESPN will eventually add a studio analyst with in-depth knowledge of the host Brazilian national team. Given ESPN Brazil exists out of San Paulo, there is plenty of talent to choose from within the company.
1c. Fantastic news: ESPN is bringing back its sensational
video vignettes that featured World Cup Final goal-scorers talking about their goals. They are also working with ESPN Films on other projects for the World Cup.
1d. Drake said Outside The Lines and other ESPN newsgathering entities will be assigned to Brazil as a lead-up to the World Cup. "We will make sure people have an understanding of Brazil's greatness and its challenges," Drake said.
Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/mor...#ixzz2WTxiL0G5
"It's pretty clear that the word that rings through all of this is authenticity," said Jed Drake, the executive producer of ESPN's World Cup coverage. "It's a powerful word and it means a lot, and it can't be hollow. Candidly, you and many of your colleagues wrote very highly of what we did in 2010 and our goal next year is to maintain that level of authenticity. That means we will speak to soccer fans with the level of assumption that they understand the game well. We will analyze, opine, and discuss at great detail the events that are unfolding and what they mean."
That's code for we plan on not dumbing down our soccer coverage, which is excellent news. ESPN's four-person play-by-play rotation four years ago in South Africa was Martin Tyler, Ian Darke, Adrian Healey and Derek Rae, and while Drake said that it was too early for him so say with absolute definition that all would be back, he did confirm "I think it is quite likely that group will be part of it." Asked specifically about using the popular Tyler again, Drake said, "We are having meaningful discussions."
As far as who will call the U.S. national games in Brazil, I'd bet heavy on Darke and analyst Taylor Twellman. Drake did reveal that ESPN will need a fifth game crew given there are 12 soccer venues (two more than South Africa) and that Brazil is nearly as large as the United States.
Regarding studio talent, Drake said he planned to meet next week in London with former German national team star Michael Ballack to convince him to return to ESPN's World Cup studio coverage. Look for ESPN to also lock up Everton manager Roberto Martinez, who worked for ESPN in South Africa and for its Euro 2012 coverage. That's in addition to the usual cast led by Bob Ley and Alexi Lalas.
Drake said ESPN will house its studio production at Rio's Clube dos Marimbás, a popular sailing club on the southern tip of Copacabana Beach. The network is building two studios at the location -- one for ESPN Deportes and ESPN International, and the other for ESPN's English-language U.S. networks -- so expect a lot of shots of bikinis and white sand.
"Let's start with the fact that it is one of the most beautiful places on the planet," Drake said. "We selected this place because of the vista. I have never seen anything close to it for a backdrop for a host set. It is seven miles of Copacabana Beach arching up behind our set and at night all the buildings will be lit. You can fly a paper airplane on the backside of our set and hit the ocean."
The 2010 World Cup were a huge ratings success for ESPN as games on ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC averaged 3,261,000 viewers, a 41 percent increase from 2006. (The top-five markets for ESPN's coverage were: Miami-Ft. Lauderdale, New York, Washington, D.C., San Diego, and San Francisco).
Given that international soccer is more popular four years later and the time zone works to ESPN advantage -- most of Brazil is one-hour ahead of the Eastern Time Zone in the U.S -- the ratings are going to increase. It's also the network's final World Cup before Fox Sports takes over so ESPN staffers want to make this memorable.
"Are the ratings going to go up? Yes, they are," Drake said. "I have to check my ego here but I really think what we achieved in 2010 was a changing of the perception of the World Cup in this country. We know the level of ambition has to be higher because the expectation from our viewers was not that high the last time. Now, it is sky-high."
1a. Drake said World Cup Live (the post-match show) will air for 90 minutes. In 2010, ESPN was limited to a 30-minute post-match program. Drake said World Cup Live will bounce around different ESPN networks. "Suffice to say, by the time we have promoted it by the end of the third match, people will know where to go in terms of whether it is on ESPN, ESPN2 or whatever," Drake said.
1b. Drake said ESPN will eventually add a studio analyst with in-depth knowledge of the host Brazilian national team. Given ESPN Brazil exists out of San Paulo, there is plenty of talent to choose from within the company.
1c. Fantastic news: ESPN is bringing back its sensational
1d. Drake said Outside The Lines and other ESPN newsgathering entities will be assigned to Brazil as a lead-up to the World Cup. "We will make sure people have an understanding of Brazil's greatness and its challenges," Drake said.
Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/mor...#ixzz2WTxiL0G5
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