SportCenter On Snapchat Is A Good Idea According To ESPN
Over the years, Snapchat has evolved from a simple messaging app to a content wonderland with the recent addition to its smorgasbord of media offerings being ESPN's SportsCenter. But is it really a good idea to bring the sports network's flagship show to the app? ESPN and parent company Disney seem to think so.
Following the announcement, Disney stocks have begun to rise following a sudden drop stemming from concerns over ESPN's decreasing subscriber base. This boost is mainly due to Disney diversifying the sports network's offerings by moving to a number of alternative platforms.
According to Business Insider's Sara Silverstein, the new show is more millennial-focused, with younger anchors. She also mentions some of the struggles the traditional cable model is facing right now. However, Business Insider CEO Henry Blodget states that this is far from being the savior Disney wants especially considering that fact that ESPN has lost over 13 million subscribers over the past six years.
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SportsCenter is part of a two-year deal between the two companies between ESPN and Snapchat parent company Snap Inc., which also includes revenue sharing. Many media companies have already flocked to the app's Discover feature producing daily shows for its users.
NBC News' daily show Stay Tuned quickly gained a massive following with 29 million unique views in its first month earlier this year. CNN soon followed suit with its own daily news program for the app which was launched last August.
As for Snapchat itself, more third-party content probably won't hurt as any new deal is a definite win for the company. It has struggled to grow its revenue and subscriber base since its IPO (initial public offering) earlier this year. As such, the company is looking to partner with more media companies to create videos and original series in order to keep its subscribers engaged in its mobile app.
