<\/p>\n
You won\u2019t see the New York Knicks or the Minnesota Timberwolves in the NBA Finals this year, but you will see ESPN\u2019s new DTC streaming service.<\/p>\n
During Game 1 on Thursday night, the Disney-owned company is airing its first ad teasing the new product, which will be called, simply, ESPN. The spot, titled \u201cSports Forever,\u201d is meant to spotlight the storied history of ESPN as a cable brand while raising awareness of the new service, particularly among younger viewers, SVP of Marketing Jo Fox said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you think about media sports brands, there\u2019s very few that can say that they have been with fans for over four decades,\u201d Fox told Marketing Brew. \u201cWe\u2019re in an increasingly competitive environment, and we thought, \u2018Let\u2019s look back, as we looked at our brand and our heritage.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Superfan:<\/strong> The ad opens on a scene of two people watching TV in a living room with overlay text that reads \u201cFall 1979, the first ESPN broadcast.\u201d While some of the shots that follow include sports stars like Jalen Hurts, Rory McIlroy, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the spot is largely focused on fans, a decision that hinged on the insight that \u201csports fans are sports fans for life,\u201d said Sinan Dagli, ECD of ESPN\u2019s agency partner Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners.<\/p>\n \u201cThe most important thing for us was telling the story of sports fandom through ESPN, because it\u2019s not just watching,\u201d Dagli said. \u201cIt\u2019s fantasy football, it\u2019s notifications, and [it\u2019s] being part of that full fandom, and not just being a passive spectator.\u201d<\/p>\n