BRISTOL, Conn. -- After such ratings and creative successes as "Playmakers" and "3," ESPN is taking a timeout from the scripted business. With the end this week of the eight-part miniseries "The Bronx Is Burning", nothing else is planned or likely to be green-lighted any time soon, ESPN executives said Thursday.
Instead, the company will spend more time on its bread and butter sports properties and news-oriented shows while announcing plans to run selected documentaries. And in the fall, it's launching an investigative series titled "ESPN Reports".
That amounts to a holding pattern in terms of the Hollywood-style development in what used to be called ESPN Original Entertainment, responsible for those types of shows and a short-lived daily news program titled "ESPN Hollywood". And it's a marked shift from the days of former executive vp Mark Shapiro, who sought to broaden the company's appeal to more than just sporting events and scores.
Today, ESPN executives say that sports and strictly sports-related content are what its audience wants. John Skipper, who as executive vp content for ESPN is in charge of content across ESPN's many platforms, said it's not about broadening the audience but instead about giving their current audience more of what they crave.
"I'm a little less interested in the intersection of where entertainment and sports combine," Skipper said.
Instead, the company will spend more time on its bread and butter sports properties and news-oriented shows while announcing plans to run selected documentaries. And in the fall, it's launching an investigative series titled "ESPN Reports".
That amounts to a holding pattern in terms of the Hollywood-style development in what used to be called ESPN Original Entertainment, responsible for those types of shows and a short-lived daily news program titled "ESPN Hollywood". And it's a marked shift from the days of former executive vp Mark Shapiro, who sought to broaden the company's appeal to more than just sporting events and scores.
Today, ESPN executives say that sports and strictly sports-related content are what its audience wants. John Skipper, who as executive vp content for ESPN is in charge of content across ESPN's many platforms, said it's not about broadening the audience but instead about giving their current audience more of what they crave.
"I'm a little less interested in the intersection of where entertainment and sports combine," Skipper said.
- 8/31/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
NEW YORK -- ESPN Hollywood, the sports giant's attempt to bridge the gap between the sports world and Hollywood, has been canceled. The half-hour show was hosted by former Cold Pizza co-host Thea Andrews and former Saved by the Bell co-star Mario Lopez. It was recorded every weekday afternoon from ESPN's studios at KTLA-TV in Los Angeles, then broadcast at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN2. The last show will air Jan. 26. The fate of many of the employees who began work on ESPN Hollywood when it bowed in August hasn't yet been determined; executives said they were trying to find places for them. Still uncertain, too, are the ESPN futures of Andrews and Lopez. Veteran ESPN producer Bill Bonnell, who moved to California to take the reins of the show, will return to the network. Even as ESPN Hollywood executive producer, Bonnell remained in charge of the network's Grand Slam Tennis coverage.
- 1/17/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The "E" in ESPN is set to take on a deeper meaning Monday as the Connecticut-based Entertainment and Sports Programming Network launches a daily news show from Tinseltown. ESPN Hollywood, which will air weeknights on ESPN2 and will look "at the world of sports through the pop culture lens," is seen by the network's executives as a natural extension of their programming philosophy and an opportunity to better utilize its newsgathering services. "The whole culture of athletes and covering athletes has changed," said Mike Antinoro, executive producer of ESPN Original Entertainment. "(Andre) Agassi said it in a commercial: 'Image is everything.' If Serena Williams) and (Maria Sharapova) play against each other in a match, it's going to be broken down on 'SportsCenter' the same way the Chris Evert-Martina Navratilova matches were broken down 15 years ago. It's about tennis, but on this show we can (also) break it down to (the players') fashions or the celebrities in attendance."...
- 8/14/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Former Saved By The Bell actor Mario Lopez has been named the co-anchor of ESPN Hollywood, ESPN 2's new show looking at the intersection between Hollywood and the sports world. Lopez will join co-anchor Thea Andrews, former co-host of ESPN 2's Cold Pizza, on the Los Angeles-produced show that will air weekdays at 6 p.m. ET beginning Aug. 15. Andrews has been on the team for several months but ESPN Original Entertainment has been trying to find the right co-anchor ever since. "One of the things we liked about Mario is that he really knows sports and he's passionate about what this show is going to be," Bill Bonnell, co-executive producer of ESPN Hollywood, said Friday afternoon. Bonnell is an NBC Sports veteran who has been coordinating producer for ESPN's tennis coverage.
- 7/25/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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