ESPNU Looks for User-Generated Content

ESPN's online and cable college-sports network ESPNU has launched an ambitious plan to produce a slew of additional niche programming, differentiate itself in a congested market, and engage a hard-to-reach demographic, all without adding to existing production costs.

Dubbed "ESPNU Campus Connection," the initiative depends on the cooperation of schools and students around the nation. ESPN is hoping students will generate loads of new sports-related content, including play-by-play coverage, sideline reporting, commentary, and analysis. The network is at http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/espnu/index.

In the first year, ESPNU plans to establish relationships with journalism, broadcasting, and marketing departments at 20 schools nationwide. While managing these relationships could prove difficult, early tests this fall at Florida State University and Syracuse University went well, said Burke Magnus, vice president and general manager at ESPNU.

"The goal is to diversify ESPNU from the mass of college [sports] content that's out there," he said. "Working with each institution is going to be a bit different, which is a challenge. But after the first year, we'll have a better idea of what resources it demands."

According to Piper Jaffray Web analyst Aaron Kessler, mainstream media coopting consumer-generated media is a growing trend, which is mutually beneficial.

"For a publisher, you're engaging consumers, and mixing up your offerings," Kessler said. "For consumers, you're getting a voice and having an impact."

Magnus is also looking forward to selling advertisers on the chance to reach highly-targeted markets of young and highly-engaged viewers. "There's no question that some big advertising opportunities will come out of this," he said.

Along with Florida State and Syracuse, schools participating thus far include Georgetown University, University of Georgia, University of Missouri, University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill), Ohio University, Pepperdine University, University of Tennessee, University of Texas (Austin) and Texas Southern University.

The effort will face its first big test in early January, when ESPNU's producers and reporters team up with students from the University of North Carolina to cover the UNC-Asheville men's basketball game.

"We're bringing the normal resources we'd normally have for a game like that," Magnus said. "We're hoping student correspondents will act more independently in the future."

Expanding their coverage in niche markets is another top priority for ESPN.com and ESPNU. In April, the units announced a partnership with XOS technologies, which manages sports Web sites for about 100 schools nationwide. The agreement allows for sharing of online news, information, video, and audio assets, as well as cross-promotion between their properties.

The college sports market is a highly coveted one. For that reason, ESPN rival CBS acquired the college sports network CSTV for $325 million at the beginning of the year.

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