ESPN is a household name in North America and now is intent on becoming more of a force on the international landscape. This was underlined in June, when ESPN acquired Premier League broadcast rights in the United Kingdom for the first time. Russell Wolff, executive vice president and managing director of ESPN International, discusses ESPN’s high-definition (HD) plans as well as how the company aims to become a more recognized brand outside of North America.
VIA SATELLITE: Has there been a sea-change in how the company views the international opportunity?
WOLFF: You look at our presence in Latin America, where we have two live sports channels that carry football, Argentine rugby, CONCACAF, UEFA Champions league and Bundesliga in Brazil, and Italian football in Mexico. Our networks in India — through the ESPN Star Sports joint venture — carry some of the best live cricket there, such as the 20/20 championship, for example. So we are well on that road in many places, but we are going to push and explore and get there in other territories where we are not.
VIA SATELLITE: Why did Premier League broadcasting rights represent an attractive investment to ESPN?
WOLFF: We continue to look to grow our business globally. We will achieve that by being as relevant as we can on a market-by-market basis. And because of that, we are delighted that our bid for exclusive media rights for the Premier League football has been successful. It is a huge step forward for our business in the United Kingdom. It is also enormously positive for our brand.
VIA SATELLITE: What are the major challenges to success?
WOLFF: We are experienced, strategic and patient. Our core pillars for growth are, first, organic growth — expanding networks that are already built. Secondly, we focus on next level localization — the English Premier League rights really fits into that as it helps us go to the next level in the U.K. market. The third pillar for our growth is brand extensions. Whether that is ESPN Mobile, ESPN Radio or ESPN The Magazine, we take great concepts and look to extend our brand in multimedia offerings. The fourth pillar of growth for us is through strategic acquisitions. We have bought four key companies in the last two-and-a-half years: NASN, which has been rebranded to ESPN America, and Scrum.com; Racing-Live.com and Cricinfo.com. Finally, hiring smart local executives is also key, as they understand the local fans and the local market.
VIA SATELLITE: What are your plans for offering HD to U.K. subscribers?
WOLFF: We have launched HD networks outside of the United States, for example, in both Australia and in Brazil. We will be launching an HD version of our channels when we come out with the Premier League. We are working tirelessly to get the channel up by August and then have HD ready for early September.
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