ESPN teams up with AOL in video syndication deal

US sports broadcaster ESPN has signed a video syndication agreement with media company AOL.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but ESPN will provide AOL with ESPN-branded news, highlights and analysis, including video content seen on SportsCenter and other ESPN programs, covering a wide array of sports. 

AOL will syndicate ESPN video content across both its owned and operated sites, such as AOL.com and the Huffington Post, along with its network of partners that includes 1,700 publishers such as Cox, Gannett, and the Boston Globe, as well as mobile phones, tablets and connected television devices.

The library of ESPN videos will also be housed in a brand-specific channel on the AOL On Network, AOL’s video platform launched in 2012 that exclusively features curated, premium video content.

Advertising sales for the video content will be led by ESPN and revenue will be shared by both parties along with AOL’s syndication partners.

Matt Murphy, ESPN’s senior vice-president of digital video distribution, said: “We see a real opportunity in our ability to curate and syndicate locally relevant content to AOL’s vast network of local sites.”