Channel now available in 39 countries, reaching over 15 million European households.
Monday 24th January sees the launch of ESPN Classic Sport in Portugal, on popular cable network Cabovisao.
The 24/7, English-language service offers a compelling mix of the greatest sporting moments from Europe, and around the world, covering over 80 different sports. Programmes slated for 2005 include: memorable matches from the Australian Open Tennis, featuring Steffi Graf, Jim Courier and Yannick Noah; an insight into one of the most intriguing characters in modern sporting history, Mike Tyson; as well as a major Winter Olympic Games special showcasing unforgettable moments from a variety of ski-ing greats including Franz Klammer, Hermann Maier and Alberto Tomba.
The introduction of ESPN Classic Sport on Cabovisao, further establishes the channel’s position as one of the fastest growing networks in Europe. In the last six months the channel has rolled out in over 10 new territories including Denmark, Finland, Belgium, Monaco and Poland. ESPN Classic Sport already has widespread distribution among multi-channel homes in France and Italy (88% and 100%, respectively).
Roch Pellerin, managing director of ESPN Classic Sport, said:
“We’re delighted to be launching ESPN Classic Sport in Portugal and delighted to be partnering with Cabovisao, one of Portugal’s most dynamic platforms. We are confident that the channel will be highly successful in Portugal, a country which has given birth to a host of international sporting heroes. We look forward to introducing into our schedule a selection of Benefico games from their golden era, playing against some of the Italian clubs.’
Pellerin added, ‘There is a great appetite for sports fans to watch legendary sporting encounters and unforgettable sporting moments, and we are delighted to offer this 24 hours a day, seven days a week on ESPN Classic Sport.’
The ESPN Classic Sport channel, which schedules programmes to complement real-time live action sports events, was launched in Europe in 2002. The channel rolled out a 24/7 service in France in March 2002 and in Italy in July 2002. In December 2003, a pan-European, English language channel was launched in over 20 European countries. Today, the growing ESPN Classic Sport brand can boast over 15 million subscribers in 39 countries.
Programme highlights and selection of sport photos are available as jpegs via email.
For more information, please contact:
ESPN Classic Sport
Mike McKibbin, Director of Marketing, ESPN Classic Sport, tel: +44 20 8233 66 31,
e-mail: mailtmmckibbin@espn-cs.com
or
Sarah Horner, MediaVision, Tel: + 34 91 622 16 93 or + 34 69 66 52 146
e-mail: mailtmediavision@dial.pipex.com
or
Chris Bellitti, ESPN Corporate Communications, Tel: +212 456 02 65
E-mail: mailtchris.bellitti@espn.com
or
visit: http://www.espnclassicsport.com/
PHOTOS & PROGRAMME INFORMATION: Programme Highlights and a selection of sports photos are available as jpegs via mailtamasterman@espn-cs.com
Visit: http://www.espnclassicsport.com/
Editors’ Notes:
· ESPN, Inc. is the world’s leading multinational, multimedia sports entertainment company, featuring a portfolio of over 50 multimedia sports assets. ESPN is 80 percent owned by ABC, Inc., which is an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. The Hearst Corporation holds a 20 percent interest in ESPN.
· ESPN Classic Sport is 70% owned by ESPN Inc and 30% by affiliates of Falconhead Capital.
· In the United States, ESPN Classic is the leader in presenting classic moments in sport, and now reaches over 55 million households. ESPN also has an equity interest in ESPN Classic
Canada.
· The company is comprised of seven domestic television networks (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Classic, ESPNEWS, ESPN Deportes, ESPNU (launching March 2005), ESPN Today). ESPN, the flagship network, reaches more than 89 million U.S. households.