ESPN Digital previews new ESPN.com site at Disney Mobile Products Showcase
BURBANK, Calif. – The Walt Disney Company hosted its first companywide mobile products showcase with seven of its business segments during a media event Friday at the Disney lot.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger kicked off the event, followed by senior leaders from across the company who presented mobile business updates and Disney’s overall mobile growth story. They confirmed that smartphones and tablets continue to surge as mobile devices become the most-used digital platform among consumers.
“Disney has a long legacy of innovation, especially when it comes to spectacular storytelling. Today, we’re showcasing a small sample of mobile products across our businesses which demonstrate how we’re using the technology to lift the limits on creativity to enhance consumer experiences and expand our incredible storytelling,” said Iger.
Executive Vice President, Digital and Print Media, John Kosner and Senior Vice President, Digital Product Management, Ryan Spoon outlined how ESPN Digital has utilized mobile to turn the tremendous value of live sports into outstanding growth and category leadership.
“Mobile is ESPN’s mission, and our goal is to put ESPN on the mobile home screen of every sports fan, everywhere,” said Kosner.
Kosner announced that on April 1, 2015 – the 20th anniversary of ESPN.com – ESPN officially will launch the new ESPN.com in the U.S. and U.K. Spoon demonstrated the new site, which will include a fully responsive design, new levels of personalization, and dynamic social elements for sharing content.
Kosner also announced that in 2015, ESPN’s industry-leading SportsCenter app will change its name to “ESPN,” so that the company’s No. 1 website, No. 1 mobile website and No. 1 mobile app will all have the same name.
ESPN’s mobile usage has doubled in traffic during the past two years. In September, ESPN reached a record-setting 94 million unique users, which established a new category high for the third time in four months. Some 76 percent of ESPN’s digital users came through handsets and tablets, while 17 percent was driven by ESPN Fantasy Football.
