ESPN Extends Reach With YouTube Deal
Tuesday, March 31, 2009 at 09:54AM 
March 31, 2009: Add ESPN YouTube to the plethora of venues where the sports-centric company will be available to fans nationwide. Beginning in mid-April, YouTube.com/ESPN will officially join ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN Classic and other destinations in offering clips, highlights and advertising. The move is part of a larger deal between ESPN parent company Disney and YouTube owner Google that also includes content from ABC Entertainment, ABC News, ABC Family and SOAPnet. Although financial terms were not released, Disney will sell and control the advertising on the video clips, and split the revenue with YouTube. "Making our content available to fans via YouTube presents an extraordinary opportunity for ESPN to create new revenue streams and new value to advertisers, as they continue to look for new ways to connect with fans in the digital environment," George Bodenheimer, president of ESPN and ABC Sports, said in a statement. A preview of the site currently offers such clips as Bob Knight talking about the NCAA Final Four, Tiger Woods' victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational on March 29 and a news segment about Terrell Owens and his less than amicable departure from the Dallas Cowboys. Back to Home Page