ESPN360.COM ADDS MLG “FRIDAY NIGHT KICK-OFF” FROM COLUMBUS, OHIO TO PREMIUM BROADBAND SPORTS LINE UP
BRISTOL, CT AND NEW YORK—May 27, 2009— ESPN360.com, ESPN’s signature broadband network, and Major League Gaming, the professional video game league, today announced that the first night of competition from MLG’s upcoming Pro Circuit stop in Columbus, Ohio will be covered live exclusively on the broadband network. The programming event marks the first time ESPN has delivered live coverage of an MLG event on one of its networks.
“Major League Gaming has a powerful attraction for young men, and bringing live coverage of MLG on ESPN360.com underscores our commitment to serving fans with events across a broad spectrum, ” said Damon Phillips, vice president of ESPN360.com.
ESPN360.com delivers more than 3,500 live, global sports events annually and is currently available in nearly 25 million homes via approximately 45 Internet service providers (ISPs) nationwide. It has more than tripled its distribution in just two years, and by August 2009, will grow to reach nearly 41 million homes, a majority of broadband homes in America, through its newest agreement with Comcast.
“The ESPN brand is synonymous with excellence in sports news and content and we’re very pleased to be collaborating with them,” said Matthew Bromberg, president and CEO of Major League Gaming. “This season we are seeing 15,000 paying spectators at our live competitions, with another 500,000 young men following the action live, online, for an average of more than an hour each. Partnering with ESPN can only bring more growth to the League.”
ABOUT ESPN360.COM
ESPN360.com is ESPN's live sports broadband network, giving fans a 24/7 online destination that delivers more than 3,200 live, global sports events annually. It is available at no cost to fans who receive their high-speed Internet connection from an affiliated service provider. ESPN360.com is currently available in nearly 25 million homes nationwide (and soon to add more than 15 million Comcast households nationwide, making it available in nearly 41 million households – a majority of US broadband homes). It is available via dozens of Internet Service Providers nationwide, including AT&T, Verizon, Comcast (August 2009), RCN, Insight, Frontier, Cavalier, Charter, Mediacom, Conway, Grande Communications and many more. It is also available at no cost to approximately 21 million U.S. college students and U.S.-based military personnel via computers connected to on-campus educational networks and on-base military networks (those with “.edu” and “.mil” domains).
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