Awful Announcing
ESPN is thinking big for its “Flagship” app.
Nearly every time any ESPN executive has discussed the project publicly since news of the direct-to-consumer service first broke in mid-2023, they have sounded like someone who just bought a custom home.
The company clearly envisions “Flagship” as much more than just a digital version of the ESPN network. From customizable SportsCenter content to licensing its competitors’ events to sucking up local and regional rights, the new-look ESPN offering will be vast.
The latest dreams came from ESPN content president Burke Magnus on The Sports Media Podcast, where he responded to recent rumors that ESPN could license Fox Sports or even TNT Sports content for “Flagship.”
While Magnus would not confirm a partnership with a specific competitor, he essentially imagined “Flagship” as a Netflix for sports.
“We’re going to build what … we believe will be the ultimate sports destination, digital, for sports fans,” Magnus said.
In the aftermath of Venu’s collapse, the collaboration ESPN struck with Fox and TNT, ESPN has pivoted to offering sports-centered “skinny” cable bundles through deals with Charter, Fubo, and DirecTV. These bundles largely permit cable companies to offer ESPN+ and Disney+ to their customers as well. That limits the revenue ESPN and Disney can generate from these offerings, but it also frees them to focus all their creative energy on “Flagship.”
So what could a Netflix of sports look like with ESPN’s coffers? The company is starting with an enormous advantage, having re-upped on deals with the NFL, NBA, College Football Playoff, and NHL in recent years with extensions expected this year for MLB and the UFC. Content partnerships with Pat McAfee and Peyton Manning show how ESPN is building a new kind of brand in the digital age.
Beyond that, Venu gave up the game that ESPN wants to be a clearinghouse for sports content. Unlike cable, where rival networks compete for audiences and ad sales, streaming has long been a land of licensing overlap. That is changing now as companies move out of experimentation and into profitability. ESPN has the advantage of deep pockets and the most live sports.
So while time will tell if ESPN ends up with the World Series or Mountain West football on “Flagship” before other mergers and acquisitions swallow rival sports networks up, ESPN also sees an opportunity in local rights. The company began rolling out a “discoverability” feature on its app last March. Fans who click into the ESPN app now see links to, for instance, NESN Boston Red Sox broadcasts or Monumental Sports Washington Wizards broadcasts.
Asked where ESPN might look for new exclusive content to bring under the “Flagship” umbrella, Magnus pointed to local markets.
“We certainly could do it with regional content from leagues or with things like MLB At Bat or NBA League Pass, that kind of thing,” he said.
Services like Amazon Prime Video and YouTube TV already offer in-app subscriptions to separate league-produced services like At Bat and League Pass. Anyone who has an Apple Watch or Apple TV has seen score notifications pop up. If you click, you end up redirected back to the proper app to watch the game. With its hardware and operating interface, Roku calls itself the “lead-in to all of television,” an unsubtle hint that the winner of the sports streaming race will be the service that generates audience loyalty and becomes a must-have.
Add in the fact that Disney CEO Bob Iger has teased “Flagship” will feature customizable, AI-generated SportsCenter based on a user’s fan allegiances and the network is already tinkering with paywalled exclusives from top talent like the ManningCast and Field Pass with The Pat McAfee Show, and a business model is coming into focus.
ESPN wants sports fans to see “Flagship” as the home for any sport, all the time. It wants the app to have so much content they love that they cannot live without it.
The Worldwide Leader has the resources and brand to do it, but how they turn imagination into reality is what will determine whether they can pull it off.
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.
“I know what storylines you’re looking for…”
“I remember when he was selected, a lot of people said, Wait, are you sure it’s the Alabama one that they’re supposed to be taking?”
Many people were surprised when Brown was spotted reading Murphy’s book on the sideline during the Eagles’ Wild Card game.
“I think he’s got one great run left.”
“So pumped for this. Fred Smoot in the office every Thursday is going to be electric.”
“When an entire fan base is thrilled for a person’s promotion to voice of their baseball team, you know the right choice was made.”
“I know what storylines you’re looking for…”
“I remember when he was selected, a lot of people said, Wait, are you sure it’s the Alabama one that they’re supposed to be taking?”
Many people were surprised when Brown was spotted reading Murphy’s book on the sideline during the Eagles’ Wild Card game.
“I think he’s got one great run left.”
“So pumped for this. Fred Smoot in the office every Thursday is going to be electric.”
“When an entire fan base is thrilled for a person’s promotion to voice of their baseball team, you know the right choice was made.”
