Can’t fault ESPN executives for playing into one of their few sports property strengths. Today, as just one of the items the company rolled out to advertisers during “2011 upfronts” ESPN announced that they are doubling the number of live, faux-sporting, action entertainment television events to a total of six for the coming three years, according to a story in the LA Times.
Currently, X Games events are held in Los Angeles during the summer and in Aspen, Colo., and Tignes, France, during the winter. Under the new plan, called Global X, four events will be held outside the U.S. ESPN will hold a competitive bidding process beginning in 2012 to select the three new locations, which will be signed to three-year agreements and work with ESPN to stage the events.
Not surprisingly ESPN’s Senior Vice President of Programming and Global X Games Scott Guglielmino is “incredibly excited to take the X Games to the next level.” More events, more coverage, more sponsors, more money, more dilution, more irrelevance. Sounds like a perfect plan.
[Link: LA Times and Broadcasting & Cable]
