http://espnfc.com/news/story/_/id/1447290/espnfc-show-air-espn2-starting-aug-11?cc=5901 In August ESPNFC will have a studio show that will include MLS highlights. Daily 30min shows and an hour recap show on Sundays.
Well this same show has been on ESPN News all year under a different name, ESPN Press Pass. It's on at 2AM EST Sunday-Friday. It's more discussion & European League oriented currently. The new iteration sounds as if it will be more of a sportscenter esque show, driven by highlights and analysis.
No need to wonder about time slot with a DVR I liked Press Pass to a point but it is more of a gossip girls edition about the same 10-12 teams in Europe. I hate the ESPN format for sports discussions.
I see this as ESPN trying to grab viewers from Fox Soccer Report's audience once the channel folds. I was wondering what I was going to do when shuts its' doors, now I have an option.
That would be a strong improvement. . . I was gonna DVR it either way, but if it's at 4, I'll watch it the same day I DVRed it, and it'll still be fresh.
Is it strange that I read the first post and only noticed the Sunday part, thinking that this would be a weekly show. My mind seemed to refuse the possibility that a soccer show could be aired daily on ESPN, and so I didn't see that fact until much later.
This would be a great lead-in for the MLS "game of the week" on Sunday or vice versa if they don't want MLS vs. MLB that night. This is fantastic from ESPN. Has anything like this ever been done on any basic cable, english language channel before? Truly groundbreaking stuff for soccer if not and shows their intere$t in the game. Now hopefully they'll start showing MLS scores and not just notable european league scores in their bottom line.
Of course ... and they'll cover the World Cup even though they don't have it. USNT soccer is always a focus. I'm merely pointing to the people that are just rolling their eyes and thinking that this will be an EPL love in. ESPN doesn't showcase that property anymore and focusing on a league like these people think they will, will just end up as an advertisement for NBC. They'll cover it, sure. Highlights, absolutely. Statistically, the biggest portion of the shows ? Probably. But if there's one thing ESPN does, it's ensure that what it has on its channels is "the greatest thing in the world because that's what we show on our channels"
Which has already happened, I've actually seen NBC Premier League ads air during ESPN pre- and post-game coverage.
Big difference between having regular football properties that are better than another, and not. As have I ... which I thought was curious.
Those were probably local cable system ads that were placed in the slots the carriers get during those shows. I doubt ESPN sold NBC ad time. But NBC is running the hell out of those EPL ads during NHL games.
I'm also curious as to whether or not people have noticed the ESPNFC website regularly having an MLS inclusion in the "top stories" rotation. It's been that way for a while now. Right now they've got a nice piece up about Michel's transition to the league.
As huge as this is I do wonder how long it will stay a daily show on ESPN2. The NBA has a show on a few nights a week and the NHL has none but gets coverage on sports center (and NBC of course). Will a soccer-centered show receive equal or more airtime in the long term than shows dedicated to these major sports? I sure hope so. It would be a sign that this game isn’t as much of a niche sport as some think.