• by Wayne Friedman , June 15, 2010

Las Vegas, NV -- ESPN isn't just about all screens all the time; it's about content producers all working together, which can be rare in media. It's also about moving fast with new technologies. 

"Digital producers sit next to online producers [who] sit next to TV producers," says George Bodenheimer, president of ESPN Inc. and co-chair of Disney Media Networks, speaking at the Nielsen Consumer 360 conference.

"I don't believe in silos," he says. "I hate hearing about silos."

ESPN recently built the biggest digital-TV facility in Bristol, Conn., which the company believes is the largest facility of its kind in the U.S.

ESPN has been pushing its three-screen approach for some time now -- whether it's traditional TV, online, mobile or the iPad. These businesses are still growing, although the latter is small. "Nearly 10% of the people who watch the World Cup, and who enjoyed, weren't watching on TV," he says.

Television remains the big gun for ESPN. "Television is the Mac truck of media usage," he says. Eighty percent of the sports network viewership comes from TV. New second and third screens, online, iPad, mobile, are not cannibalizing traditional media.

Bodenheimer says 75% of ESPN's traditional TV usage comes from male viewers, with 85% of ESPN's new digital video products also consumed by men. But he adds that the network has women users; it's just that the cumulative usage of men versus women is much higher.

ESPN's rapid deployment of new technology is necessary -- even with doubters. "It's very easy to throw your hands up [about 3D]," says Bodenheimer. "How big? How fast? What about the glasses? The answer is: We don't know... [but] if we are going to continue to be leaders, then we must launch [these products]."