• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, December 5, 2008

Weeks before ESPN re-launches its Web site, the network has posted a beta version and is soliciting comments from visitors--albeit limited to paying customers. The revamped ESPN.com is scheduled to debut in early January.

Notable aspects of the redesigned home page include a darker shade of red as the dominant hue; larger boxes highlighting columnists Bill Simmons and Rick Reilly; and a strip of links to feature stories along the bottom.

But the principal change isn't a surprise: a greater emphasis on video, both in terms of the size of the playing screen and visibility of the viewing options.

The player is considerably larger, with a highly visible "Top Videos" link located above the photo that dominates the screen. Additional access to clips is intermingled with article links just beneath the photo.

When some links are clicked, the video automatically blows up and begins streaming on the large player.

Gone is the small player on the previous ESPN.com's home page that would instantly start playing "SportsCenter Right Now." That was located near the top of a column in an area that would not immediately catch a visitor's attention. Instead, the new player has a locale that in the newspaper business would be referred to as "above the fold."

The beta version of the new site does not have a banner ad at the top of the screen, raising the question of whether it will be abandoned. The beta version is available for review only by ESPN "Insiders," those who pay a fee for access to added content.

On the bottom of the beta screen is a "Tell us what you think" link leading to a pop-up page where visitors can send comments (maximum 1,000 characters), while offering ratings on topics such as "content," "design" and "usability."

Visitors are also asked for their thoughts on questions such as ease of navigation and the site's loading speed. ESPN's focus-group efforts also extend to a question about the primary reasons that visitors come to ESPN.com--which include checking scores, reading top stories and headlines, and watching video.

ESPN.com's traffic appears to be on an inexorable rise. Unique users are at some 21 million a month, up 13% compared to a year ago. In October, the average user spent a total of 54 minutes on the site.