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).
A Message from MLG Co-Founder Mike Sepso
"What’s up MLG fans – Sepso here with some exciting news.
I hope that like me, you are absolutely friggin psyched about Columbus. Honestly, it’s a place we’ve wanted to hold a Pro Circuit event for many years and I can’t wait for next Friday. I hope you have had a chance to check out the Bracket Show that Puckett and company taped up at the ESPN Studios. It’s pretty sweet for me to see our commentators talking MLG in the same studios where the ESPN guys talk NBA, NFL, and MLB.
I don’t know about you, but probably one of the most exciting days since starting MLG was seeing the ESPN Top 10 graphics and music around our MLG Top Ten lists. Not to mention the amazing interviews and Q&A’s that they’re doing on ESPN.com. If you’re a sports fan, ESPN is the ultimate place to be because that’s where the world’s best coverage of the world’s premiere pro sports lives.
MLG has had an amazing relationship with ESPN so far, and it’s about to get even bigger. On Friday night from Columbus, following the Pregame Show and the premiere of the second episode of the Dr Pepper Ultimate Gaming House, ESPN will be exclusively broadcasting MLG’s Friday Night competition coverage live from Columbus on ESPN360.com, the network’s premium broadband service.
ESPN360.com is the same service that broadcasts live NBA, MLB, NCAA basketball and football games, and more. That means that MLG’s content is of the highest quality and they want to run it directly on their broadband network. It also marks the first time a major network has licensed MLG Pro Circuit competition coverage. It’s a HUGE day for us.
I truly believe that extending our already great relationship with ESPN, in this high-profile broadcast, is a big step forward for MLG. If you’re not sure whether you have ESPN360.com, please check here to see if it’s available.
Again, this is only for the Friday Night Kickoff matches; Saturday and Sunday live broadcasts will still be right here on mlgpro.com as usual. And please make sure you tune in Friday night to mlgpro.com to watch the Live Pregame Show along with the premiere of the Dr Pepper Ultimate Gaming House Episode 2! (It’s a very special episode ;-) ).
Here’s what you can do to make your viewing experience for Friday night as simple as possible:
ESPN360.com provides a fantastic user experience and is available to many US fans at no cost, and soon will be available to many more.
To access to ESPN360.com you will need to get your high speed internet access from one of our affiliated ISPs. To find out if you already have access, simply go to www.espn360.com. It will detect if you have access to ESPN360.com and also will explain how you can get it through an affiliated provider if you do not.
ESPN360.com has agreements with AT&T, Verizon, RCN, Charter (select markets) and numerous other ISPs. ESPN360.com also recently reached an agreement with Comcast. However, the network will not be available to Comcast high speed subscribers until August 2009.
If you have any questions concerning using ESPN360.com, consult their FAQ here.
You can also call ESPN for technical support at 888-549-ESPN.
See you live from Columbus!"
-Sepso
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