SportsCenter was ESPN’s flagship program; its first episode aired after the network’s launch in September 1979. Now Disney, which has 80% ESPN is building on its oldest offering and adding AI to its sports news, recaps and evaluation to appeal to a younger generation watching streaming content.
ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro It was announced on Wednesday that next 12 months SportsCenter will turn out to be a separate application for the first time.
The technology will find a way to tailor content to each viewer’s interests and “obviously help a lot” with personalizing the app, generating clips and developing narration for them, Pitaro said.
Jimmy Pitaro. Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
ESPN already uses AI to tell investigative news stories. Pitaro said he listens to the AI-spoken material on his commute to work.
This motion is a part of a broader strategy to adapt to changing audience tastes. Over 40% of TV viewership in June and record high of 41.4% in Julygot here from streaming, according to Nielsen reports. Cable and broadcast TV, meanwhile, accounted for about 26% and 20%, respectively, of total TV viewership in July.
Now, as traditional sports networks grapple with the growing interest in streaming, ESPN is amplifying that interest by leveraging its social media presence.
“We need to build this company to be relevant to the next generation of sports fans,” said ESPN President of Content Burke Magnus he said on Wednesday.
Pitaro became the chairman of ESPN in February 2023 and is now one of the 4 directors of Disney In the race to replace CEO Bob Iger in 2026, ESPN has hired 16 billion dollars Disney revenues in 2022