This story was first leaked to USA Today this morning and then released to the worldwide media an hour later (not that you care, but your humble writer likes to point these things out). ESPN will provide viewers with what it is calling a “Megacast” for the BCS National Championship Game on January 6, 2014. Not to be outdone by Turner’s three separate feeds for the NCAA Men’s Final Four™ in April, ESPN will provide six separate dedicated feeds for the BCS National Championship between Auburn and Florida State.
ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNews, ESPN Classic, ESPN Goal Line and ESPN3 will be utilized in this unique road block for the game. Here’s how it would work:
ESPN
The main feed with Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit and Heather Cox, just like it has aired over the past three years.
ESPN2
The channel formerly known as “The Deuce” will carry what will be called “BCS Title Talk” featuring ESPN’s college football analysts and various guests discussing the game with their own graphics and game statistics.
ESPNews
On this channel, “BCS Film Room” will have ESPN analysts as well as current coaches and players discussing the X’s and O’s utilizing multiple camera angles.
ESPN Classic
You can see the game without the announcers on this channel. Just the natural sounds and on-screen graphics. If you wish, you can see the complete performances of the Auburn and Florida State bands at halftime. That might be worth the Megacast alone.
ESPN Goal Line
This “RedZone” type channel will provide the “BCS Command Center,” a split-screen graphic featuring the ESPN Radio call, live action and immediate replays of every play plus in-game statistics.
ESPN3
The online service will provide the home Auburn and Florida State radio calls as well as live feeds from both campuses with their reactions to the game.
I’ve already written more than 300 words on this. For more details, check out the press release below.
“BCS Megacast” Coverage of National Championship Takes Over ESPN Platforms
Multiple live presentations of title game across ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNEWS, ESPN Classic, ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes, ESPN3 and ESPN Goal Line
Game-specific content on ESPN.com and ESPN social media platformsESPN – a leader in technology and innovation that enhances the fan experience – will utilize six of its television platforms as well as audio and digital outlets for a “BCS Megacast” presentation of the college football BCS National Championship on Monday, Jan. 6, at 8:30 p.m. ET. The special coverage of No. 1 Florida State vs. No. 2 Auburn will expand on ESPN’s prior multiplatform telecasts to provide fans everywhere with the event’s most wide-ranging coverage ever. The BCS Megacast initiative will begin with a simulcast of ESPN’s BCS National Championship pregame show at 8 p.m. across ESPN2, ESPNEWS, ESPN Classic and ESPN3.
“BCS Megacast takes our previous multiplatform telecasts to the next level,” said Norby Williamson, ESPN executive vice president, programming & acquisitions. “We realized it would be a tremendous undertaking to coordinate so many coverage variations of the same game when we began brainstorming ideas in September. The exciting part is how much the original idea has grown in the past few months.”
ESPN previously offered three Full Circle presentations featuring various coverage approaches to a single event across multiple TV and digital networks and radio platforms beginning in 2006.
Traditional game coverage will be available on ESPN, ESPN Radio, ESPN International networks and in Spanish on ESPN Deportes. Some details are still being finalized but Megacast concepts currently include:
- “BCS Title Talk” on ESPN2 will allow fans to eavesdrop on the casual and organic conversations of ESPN college football analysts and special guests such as coaches, players and celebrities discussing the game from an on-site room. On-screen graphics will incorporate game statistics and information as well as a “social stripe” that will provide live social media feedback throughout the telecast.
- “BCS Film Room” on ESPNEWS will feature ESPN experts as well as guest coaches and players providing in-depth X and O analysis of the game as it happens from a film room equipped with multiple camera angles and touchscreens.
- ESPN Classic will provide a “Sounds of the BCS” presentation featuring only the natural sounds of the game. The telecast will couple ESPN’s on-screen game coverage with the audio originating from numerous microphones located within the stands, field and more as well as the in-stadium sound system. Classic’s coverage will include the halftime performances of the Florida State and Auburn marching bands.
- “BCS Command Center” on ESPN Goal Line will provide a split screen application with live game action and immediate replays of every play. The coverage will use the ESPN Radio broadcast call and incorporate live game statistics on the screen.
- ESPN3, in cooperation with IMG College, will offer separate “Auburn Radio Call” and “Florida State Radio Call” presentations. The Florida State- and Auburn-specific coverage will feature the team’s home radio broadcast with an on-screen presentation providing fans with the game feed plus isolated cameras on key coaches and players from that team. The coverage will include the halftime performances of the Florida State and Auburn marching bands.
- “BCS Campus Connection” on ESPN3 will showcase live fan reactions from various watch parties within the home markets of Auburn and Florida State into the game coverage.
- Fans will be able to watch the entire game from the above stadium camera angle with the “BCS SpiderCam” presentation on ESPN3.
- ESPN The Magazine will extend its popular image-driven “1 Day 1 Game” showcase of an entire day around a specific event with a live feed of pictures posted across the platforms and ESPN social media accounts during the Championship game.
- In addition to ESPN.com’s extensive lead-up, in-game and post-game coverage, the PlayCenter application will serve fans with in-progress highlights from the site’s homepage.
- ESPN will use also use its various social media accounts on Facebook and Twitter within the coverage. Potential content includes behind-the-scenes insights, statistics and information, interaction with fans, and more.
- ESPN International networks will televise the BCS in Australia/New Zealand (ESPN Pacific Rim); Latin America North & South; Brazil; Caribbean; Japan (via J-Sports) and Canada (via TSN and RDS). ESPN’s broadband service, ESPN Player will provide live and on demand coverage in to more than 40 countries in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, while ESPN syndication partners will televise the BCS in the UK, parts of Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, the Philippines, Malaysia, India and China.
Each of the ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3 and ESPNEWS presentations will also be available through WatchESPN, accessible online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app, through ESPN on Xbox LIVE to Gold members, on Apple TV and Roku to fans who receive their video subscription from an affiliated provider.
That is all.
