US sports broadcaster ESPN has broadened its partnership with Snap Inc, the parent company of social media platform Snapchat, by agreeing a new two-year deal themed around its news programme SportsCenter.
ESPN was one of the launch partners for Snapchat’s Discover platform two years ago, but the new deal is set to herald the first daily sports programme on Snapchat.
The SportsCenter for Snapchat service is set to debut at 5pm ET today (Monday), followed by twice-daily shows at 5am and 5pm during the week and one 5am offering at weekends.
The Variety website said each episode will be three to five minutes in length. SportsCenter on Snapchat will include game highlights, but will also have a heavy focus on issues off the field. It will also have a wider remit to cover sports competitions outside of the big four leagues in the United States.
“SportsCenter is the crown jewel of ESPN, and I think it’s defined how generations experience sports and think about the culture of sports,” Sean Mills, Snap’s head of content, told Variety. “Now we have a new medium in mobile video — and there’s a huge opportunity for a ‘SportsCenter’ made for mobile, for the next generation of sports fans.”