Complete Coverage: Upfronts 2013
New York -- ESPN will debut its first daily soccer studio program in the U.S., ESPNFC, in August, the network announced during its upfront presentation Tuesday morning.
ESPNFC, which will serve as a linear extension of its multiplatform brand of the same name, will be in the same vein as ESPN's other studio shows like NFL Live, NBA Coast to Coast and Baseball Tonight. The show will offer highlights, news, analysis and digital segements. ESPNFC will air Sunday-Friday beginning Aug. 11.
ESPN will also replace one of its NFL studio shows, NFL32, will NFL Insiders, which will debut Aug. 5 after the Hall of Fame game. Like NFL32, it will be hosted by Suzy Kolber and feature Adam Schefter, Chris Mortensen and former NFL executive Bill Polian, who now serves as an ESPN analyst. NFL Insiders will feature a four-person panel that includes journalists, former front executives and league experts.
SportsCenter will have a new home beginning in 2014, as ESPN announced that its flagship program will move to a 10,000 square foot state-of-the-art studio that will have roughly 350 video display units (some as large as 15 ft. in height). The network offered a preview with artist renderings.
ESPN's popular news and information app, ScoreCenter, will be rebranded into the official SportsCenter app in time for the upcoming NFL season in September. The new app will include a social element, curating tweets from ESPN talent and atheletes. The app will also be used within SportsCenter for a second-screen experience. It will be available for iPhone and Android at launch, with an iPad version to follow.
The network will also premiere its new slate of 30 for 30 documentaries Oct. 1.
