ESPN operates its multiplatform programming strategy according to a “best available screen at the moment” approach, said Tim Connolly, VP for digital distribution at Disney/ESPN, while speaking at a Beet.TV Online Video Leadership webcast in New York last month.
That means consumers are most apt to watch sports programming on the best and biggest screen they have at any given moment — at the office it could be a laptop, while at home it could be a 52-inch flat screen. But ESPN also contends viewers are multitasking so it’s important to create apps for second-screen and complementary viewing. “We have apps built to serve programming for those [mobile and handheld] devices and it can be operating in primary mode if it’s the only screen, or if I am in front of the 52-inch set, it can be in supplemental or complementary mode as a super gamescast, stats tracker, or news source,” Connolly explained.
Chris Van Noy, Akamai’s Chief Digital Strategist, added that it’s seen a marked increase in the amount of video being viewed on iPads and Android devices.
This video is a highlight of the August 23 Beet.TV Online Video Leadership webcast. The entire session can be found here.
