Disney pushing into European TV-market
The Walt Disney Company is continuing its push into the European TV-markets and only recently announced the latest big step. After concentrating on family tv and in particular its local Disney Channels in the past, TWDC is now looking at its other strong brand in TV … no, not ABC … ESPN the cable sports channel (which TWDC holds through ABC, which own 80% of ESPN). TWDC already introduced ESPN Classic in selected European markets in 2002 (re-airing highlights of past sport events) as well as the ESPNsoccernet (a soccer news and informationsite) and ESPN Mobile (dsitributing X Games video, wallpapers). Now ESPN is finally ready to enter the market for live-tv coverage of sports events in Europe – or sort of as it recently announced that it will acquire NASN.
NASN aka “North American Sports Network” operated by Setanta Sport Holdings Ltd has been founded in 2002 and is dedicated exclusively to north american sports, airing 24 hours per day and providing its subscribers via cable and satellite across Europe with extensive live coverage from NHL, MLB, CFL, NCAA and the NFL including the Super Bowl. NASN does not produce its own live coverage but obtains the coverage from US-stations including original commentary and frequently pre- and post-game shows, as well as according sports-news- and sports-magazine-shows.
While clearly a niche-product, NASN has positioned itself as unique and has garnered a loyal fan and customer base with over 800 live and as-live sports events each year. The move allows ESPN to re-broadcast sport-shows from its US ESPN-stations in Europe and such repurpose them as well as play of its strength as north american sports station. While such moves may take a few more months and no concrete plans have been announced, ESPN already confirmed that it will rebrand the station as official part of the ESPN-family to strengthen its global brand in Europe.
A stronger ESPN brand in Europe might also be an opportunity for the future development plans of the Disney Village at the Disneyland Resort Paris. Afterall ESPN is already lending its name to a chain of eight ESPN Zones in the US, which feature a combination of a sports bar and restaurant (certainly showing ESPN on its numerous tv-screens), a shop and the Sports Arena a mixture of a sports oriented arcade and interactive sports game also including e.g. climbing walls – all fittingly sports themed. In some locations as e.g. the ESPN Zone in Downtown Disney at the Disneyland Resort Anaheim they even produce live tv-shows in the restaurant / bar section, allowing patrons to get as close to real tv as possible. With ESPN pushing its brand in Europe a transfer of the ESPN Zone concept should become more viable as expansion plan for the Disney Village again. Even if large numbers of guests might not immediately recognize the brand ESPN, the sports themeing should generate a constant flow of interested guests for the restaurant and bar. In fact the ESPN Zone might then also help ESPN make its brand better known in Europe. It sure would be a new addition the the Disney Village increasing the entertainment, shopping and dining value.
But even if the Disneyland Resort Paris and ESPN could agree on the idea, which had been mentioned in the past as rumor, there might be one problem lurking: what kind of contract did the arcade and bowling center NEX in the IMAX-building get? Afterall the ESPN Zone would be competing with NEX for customers as far as its Sports Arena is concerned…
