Two Announcements From The NFL and ESPN

We have two announcements for you on this Monday. One involving the nation’s most popular sports league and the other from the nation’s largest sports network. Both announcements involve online content.

The NFL says it will put exclusive content on Hulu.com which is co-owned by Fox and NBC.

HULU TO OFFER NFL CONTENT
Emmy Award Winning NFL Films Produced Shows Now Available On Hulu
The NFL and Hulu have partnered to offer football fans a new way to find and enjoy NFL action this offseason with access to award winning shows containing historical game footage online at www.hulu.com/nfl. Hulu is an online video service that offers hit TV shows, movies and clips at Hulu.com and other online destination sites
The NFL Network section on Hulu launches with nine different NFL programs featuring videos from all 32 teams.
The partnership allows fans to access more than 600 videos and more than 400 hours of NFL content online, much of which previously only existed on film. 
“We’re really excited to partner with the NFL to bring their popular shows, classic games and highlights from the NFL Films vault online for the first time,” said ANDY FORSSELL, SVP of Content Acquisition and Distribution at Hulu. “The NFL Team has done such amazing work over the years in beautifully portraying the drama and excitement that occurs every Sunday in the NFL, and we are proud to be able to help more people find and enjoy this great content. As our relationship continues to grow, we look forward to adding more great NFL Films videos to the Hulu service.”
“We’re excited to make all of this great historical content from NFL Films and NFL Network available on Hulu,” said HANS SCHROEDER, vice president of media strategy and development for the NFL.  “This is a continuation of our efforts to give NFL fans access to more content in more places throughout the year.”
The nine programs that currently are on Hulu are:

  • AMERICA’S GAME: THE SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS: The Emmy award winning America’s Game series tells the stories behind the story of Super Bowl champions. Each episode is a 60-minute documentary featuring key members of the winning team telling behind-the-scenes accounts from their championship season. With classic NFL Films action combined with news clips and photos, highlights from team radio broadcasts, footage from inside team meeting rooms, sideline audio and other exclusive features, America’s Game provides an epic and intimate portrait of 42 distinct championship teams, in one groundbreaking series.
  • GAME OF THE WEEK: Current and classic NFL games are featured in Game of the Week, a 60-minute condensed version of a full game. The series takes fans inside an NFL game highlighting outstanding performances and crucial plays. NFL Network Game of the Week will review the game quarter-by-quarter, showing fans how 4th-quarter plays are set up by what happened earlier in the game. Game of the Week uses NFL Films signature slow-motion cinematography and sideline sound to give fans a unique and in-depth perspective of how the game was won.
  • GREATEST GAMES: NFL Films Greatest Games series explores in-depth the most memorable games in NFL history. Relive all the drama of classic NFL match ups on these 90-minute shows as NFL Films reconstructs the games using archival footage and original radio calls.
  • HARD KNOCKS: Hard Knocks presents viewers with an inside look at NFL training camps. From the top coaches to the rookies trying to make the team, Hard Knocks will showcase what it takes to be in the NFL.  Currently, fans can watch the seasons featuring the 2001 Baltimore Ravens; 2002 Dallas Cowboys; 2003 Jacksonville Jaguars; 2007 Kansas City Chiefs; and the 2008 Dallas Cowboys.
  • LIVE WIRE:  Live Wire showcases the best sounds from the weekend’s NFL game action. The Live Wire series delivers exclusive sound captured from microphones worn by players and coaches during the game.
  • SEASON IN REVIEW: The story of each NFL season from 1993 – 2005 as told by NFL Films.
  • SOUNDS OF THE GAME: This highlight show recaps the best press conference moments of the past week, along with game footage and sound to illustrate coaches’ and players’ comments.
  • SUPER BOWL HIGHLIGHTS: NFL Films tells the story of the biggest sporting event of the year – the Super Bowl. A special re-telling of the story of the first 43 Super Bowls with the inside look that only NFL Films can provide. Slow motion cinematic shots, sideline sounds, and players and coaches wired-for-sound bring the excitement of the NFL’s premier game to life.
  • TEAM HIGHLIGHTS: Every year, each football team has the chance to climb the NFL mountain. NFL Films looks back at the story of each team’s season – the biggest wins, hardest losses, and the players that perform every Sunday.

And ESPN is going to tap MLB Advanced Media to run its rebranded ESPN3 broadband service.

ESPN360.com Taps MLB Advanced Media for ESPN3.com


Network Name Change in April to coincide with new technology infrastructure and operations support powered by MLBAM


ESPN360.com, ESPN’s 24/7 broadband sports network, today announced that it will collaborate with MLB Advanced Media (MLBAM) for its technology infrastructure and operations support when the network’s name changes to ESPN3.com on April 4th.

The move will enhance the viewing experience for sports fans and provide optimal video quality. As part of the deal, the network will use Adobe’s Flash Media Server (FMS) as its core technology. New  features and enhancements include customizable widgets with scores, chats, schedules and more.  ESPN3.com will also offer more HD streaming of live events and additional viewing options via picture-in-picture and split screens.

“ESPN360.com carries a wide variety of more than 3,500 live sporting events online, and continually improving that experience is our top priority,” said John Kosner, senior vice president and general manager, ESPN Digital Media. “This new agreement with MLBAM, which deepens our seven-year relationship, brings two leaders in sports video streaming together on the same platform.  We will continue to deliver a high quality network to fans as it transitions to ESPN3.com in April.”


“Our long-term collaboration with ESPN has been defined by a common thread to serve fans first and supporting the new ESPN3.com with our live streaming technology underscores our continued commitment to this goal,” said Bob Bowman, president and chief executive officer, MLBAM.

Programming on ESPN3.com will remain the same, with access to replay, HD-quality streaming and milestone markers for select events, geo-targeted ads and more.  The network is available at no cost to fans who receive their high-speed Internet connection from an affiliated service provider.  It is currently in 50 million households — a majority of U.S. broadband homes — and accessible via dozens of Internet Service Providers nationwide, including AT&T, Verizon, Cox Communications, Comcast, RCN, Insight, Frontier, Cavalier, Charter, Mediacom, Conway, Grande Communications and more.

So you have two announcements from the two of the largest sports entities in the US.

About Ken Fang

Ken has been covering the sports media in earnest at his own site, Fang's Bites since May 2007 and at Awful Announcing since March 2013. He provides a unique perspective having been an award-winning radio news reporter in Providence and having worked in local television. Fang celebrates the three Boston Red Sox World Championships in the 21st Century, but continues to be a long-suffering Cleveland Browns fan.

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