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Fully Responsive Global Website Debuts in Advance of 2014 FIFA World Cup
Comprehensive Multiplatform World Cup Coverage from Brazil and Around the Globe
ESPN has officially unveiled the newly redesigned ESPNFC.com in advance of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Designed with a mobile-first approach, ESPNFC.com is fully responsive across desktop, smartphone and tablet devices featuring English language editions customized by region (global, U.S. and U.K.) at launch, followed by Spanish language, Singapore/Malaysia and Indonesian editions later this year. The new ESPNFC.com also features everscrolling feeds, allowing fans to easily scroll through an endless array of suggested stories, videos and more, curated by ESPNFC.com that delivers the most recent and relevant content.
At launch, ESPNFC.com will default to the World Cup navigation, with the option for fans to toggle and switch to standard navigation menus for access to league coverage. Built with an emphasis on multimedia content, the new ESPNFC.com in the U.S. will also include in-progress video of goals and highlights shortly after they happen live for the World Cup, with studio coverage and commentary video also available worldwide.
Additionally, together with Internet Explorer, ESPN has also launched the ESPN FC World Cup Essentials hub, a destination for fans to delve into the history of the beautiful game and learn more about their favorite players, teams and long-standing rivalries. The hub is powered by Internet Explorer and will exist as part of the overall ESPN FC experience.
Comprehensive Global Multiplatform Coverage of the 2014 FIFA World Cup
In-depth reporting on-site in Brazil and around the world for the new ESPNFC.com – working in conjunction with ESPNdeportes.com and ESPN editorial teams in Argentina, Brazil and Mexico – will be delivered by:
Wright Thompson – senior writer for ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine, will be blogging from various locations in Latin and South America before journeying to Rio for the final week of the World Cup
Gabriele Marcotti – multimedia football analyst and writer, will cover the biggest storylines during the tournament
Iain Macintosh – features writer and Daily World Cup blogger
Chris Jones – news and features writer during the World Cup
Michael Cox and Adrian Melville – Tactics and Analytics bloggers
John Brewin – instant match reaction and analysis
Fernando Lopez – deputy editor, will follow Spain
Rafa Ramos – senior writer and Mexican soccer expert, will follow every step of El Tri
Rene Tovar – editor for ESPN.com in Mexico, will complement Ramos’s coverage with a close look at the Mexican National Team
Damián Didonato – editor for ESPN.com in Argentina, will provide reporting for the Argentinian National Team
Nicolás Baier – writer for ESPN.com in Argentina, will follow Colombia
The new ESPNFC.com’s daily multimedia original content will also include Men in Blazers hosts Roger Bennett and Michael Davies on-site in Rio during the World Cup. In addition to their regular podcasts and MIBs blog on ESPNFC.com, Bennett and Davies will deliver original video content, including:
Boot Room Extra with Men in Blazers – daily post-match video podcasts live exclusively on ESPN3 in the U.S.
Morning Predictions – taped segments previewing the day’s matches
Additionally, ESPNFC.com’s 32 national team blogs will provide unprecedented depth to its coverage in Brazil with dedicated national team bloggers including Fernando Duarte and Tim Vickery (Brazil), Aleksandar Holiga (Croatia), Raphael Honigstein (Germany), Ken Matsushima (Japan), Tom Marshall and Andrea Canales (Mexico), Colin Udoh (Nigeria), Sid Lowe and Graham Hunter (Spain), and Jeff Carlisle and Doug McIntyre (USA), among others.
Content that will be featured on ESPNFC.com in the final days leading up to the World Cup include:
32 Teams in 32 Days – a series of profiles of all 32 national teams competing in this year’s World Cup, will continue through Wednesday, June 11. The remaining schedule includes:
June 1-7: Belgium, South Korea, Ghana, Italy, USA, Netherlands, Colombia
June 8-11: England, Argentina, Spain, Brazil
#WorldCupRank – will continue to count down the top 50 players expected to compete in Brazil, based on a comprehensive poll from ESPN FC writers and editors across all regions. The top 3 ranked players will be revealed live on ESPN in the U.S. tied to the 2014 FIFA World Cup Preview show at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, June 11.
Nick Hornby Essays – the acclaimed best-selling author will pen a series of essays for ESPNFC.com in the days prior to the World Cup.
U.S. and Mexico National Team International Friendlies (through June 7) – ESPN FC, ESPN Deportes and ESPN Mexico will have complete friendly coverage for both national teams in addition to England, Germany and Brazil.
E:60 World Cup Special featuring Pelé (June 1) – profile piece by Drehs on the football legend and his legacy today in Brazil.
Growing Up Brazil (June 2-6) – Duarte pens a series of first-person essays about what it was like to grow up outside of Rio as a football fan, a journey that has taken him from playing on dirt pitches to following the Brazilian national team as both a fan and journalist.
Jurgen Klinsmann’s 30-Man Roster (June 3) – ESPN The Magazine’s McIntyre takes a look at what to expect in Brazil from the eight U.S. footballers that compete in Europe
Magraphic (June 3) – from Argentine Diego Maradona’s studs-up foul against Brazil’s Batista in 1982 to Frenchman Zinedine Zidane’s 2006 head butt against Italy’s Marco Materazzi, ESPN The Magazine analyzes every red card since 1930 – 159 in total
Michael Bradley (June 5) – Drehs profiles the USA midfielder for ESPN The Magazine and ESPN FC on the relationship with his father and his journey to the U.S. Men’s National Team, including his experience in Italian Serie A and Toronto FC.
1978 Argentinian National Team (June 9) – Thompson’s story of the team that hosted and won the World Cup during major political unrest the stories of the missing and their families.
World Cup 2014: Everything You Need to Know (June 10-11) – a two-day package with everything fans – both avid and casual alike – will need to know heading into June 12.
Lionel Messi (June 11) – Thompson’s ESPN The Magazine cover story on the superstar Argentinian footballer.
Top 10 World Cup Moments (June 11) – ESPNFC.com will host a one-hour special on digital platforms recapping the most memorable (and most infamous) moments in World Cup history.
Content that will be featured on ESPNdeportes.com in the final days leading up to the World Cup include:
“Yo Anoté Un Gol” (I Scored A Goal) – a video series that highlights some of the most unforgettable moments in the history of the World Cup through the eyes of its own characters.
La Opinion de Hugo (Hugo’s Opinion) – Hugo Sanchez analyzes the latest World Cup news with a focus on the Mexican National Team. The series will continue through the tournament.
Soy La Historia del Tri (I am El Tri’s Story) - the story of the Mexico National Team through the eyes of those who have lived it.
El juego de la Copa del Mundo – World Cup Bracket predictor game.
New Global ESPN FC App
The new ESPN FC App – developed natively for iOS and Android smartphones and supporting both English and Spanish language – features a dedicated 2014 FIFA World Cup section that serves as the default launch page, providing easy and immediate access to all related content before, during and after the tournament.
In the U.S., the app features in-progress clips for the World Cup, whereby goal highlights will be marked on a timeline for each match in real-time. Additionally, all fans worldwide will have access to ESPN FC studio coverage and commentary video. The new ESPN FC app is now available free to download in the App Store and Google Play.
All 64 Matches Live on WatchESPN and ESPN3 in the U.S.
Every single match of the 2014 FIFA World Cup – from the group stage to the final – on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes and ABC (through special simulcasts on ESPN3) will be available live on WatchESPN and ESPN3, accessible online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the award-winning WatchESPN app, and streamed on televisions through Xbox, Apple TV, Roku and Amazon Fire TV to more than 92 million households nationwide via an affiliated video or internet provider. All ten ABC telecasts will also be accessible via WATCH ABC in select markets through an affiliated provider.
ESPN3 Surround will also present companion viewing experiences to all 64 telecasts exclusively on the multi-screen sports network, allowing fans to watch matches live in multiple language offerings, including Portuguese (also available via ESPN Deportes+) and Korean. Additionally, ESPN3 Surround will deliver two alternate camera feeds to every telecast, including tactical cams that will provide a high and wide view of the pitch, giving viewers an in-stadium perspective, and real-time highlight reels that will update as big moments happen during every live match.
Steve Busfield to ESPN as Managing Editor, ESPNFC & ESPN.co.uk
Respected journalist Steve Busfield, currently sports editor for The Guardian US, will be joining ESPN as Managing Editor, ESPNFC and ESPN.co.uk later this summer. With nearly two decades of experience in sports and media journalism in both the US and UK Busfield has covered football (soccer), cricket, rugby, US sports (NFL, college sports, NHL, MLB), golf, tennis, boxing, the media business and entertainment.
Busfield will be based in ESPN’s London office, but spend significant time in both the US and UK. In the role, he will work closely with the existing editorial teams to expand English-speaking cross-platform football coverage, editorial collaboration and coordination with ESPN’s other sites and media platforms around the world.
The addition of Busfield underscores ESPN’s commitment to growing both coverage of global football via ESPNFC and multi-sport coverage on ESPN.co.uk. Both sites recorded record traffic, engagement and video usage in 2013
Local Edition of ESPN FC TV Show in Indonesia Debuts
NET, the Indonesian free-to-air television network, and ESPN are collaborating to bring a local edition of the popular ESPN FC football news and analysis program to Indonesian football fans. Starting today, NET will be airing the new football-focused program will air at 13:00 and 13:30 daily, seven days per week. Presented in Indonesian Bahasa, NET will produce the brand new local edition of one of ESPN’s flagship programs with consultation from ESPN on the look, feel, pace and style of the show.
ESPN FC on NET marks the first time that the show has been launched with a local collaborator, and the first time the show will appear in local language in Asia. Hosted by NET’s own Ganindra Bimo and Temmy Rahadi, it provides Indonesian fans a daily destination show for the latest news, information and developments from around the world of football. Each day, it will present reviews of the action and results, biggest topics in global football, previews of key matches throughout the calendar, interviews with newsmakers, and timely features and profiles of key personalities in the sport.
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