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ESPN on ABC

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ESPN on ABC logo, September 2006-Present
ESPN on ABC screenshot, HD version. Note the ESPN logo in the scorebox, the ESPN BottomLine, and the ABC logo in the lower right hand corner.
SD version of ESPN graphics on ABC, with the network bug in the corner.

ESPN on ABC is the brand used for sports programming on the ABC television network. On September 2, 2006, the former ABC Sports division was fully integrated into ESPN, which, like ABC, is controlled by The Walt Disney Company. [1] Programming on ABC currently has the ESPN logo in the digital on-screen graphic displaying the game score, and use the ESPN BottomLine and SportsCenter In-Game Updates. The change was made to better orient ESPN viewers with the programming on ABC. The ABC logo is used on the watermark-like digital on-screen graphic in the bottom right hand corner of the screen, and is also used for promotions so that viewers will know to tune into the broadcast network and not cable ESPN. [2]

Contents

[edit] ABC Sports

[edit] Under Capital Cities

Like its longtime competitors CBS Sports and NBC Sports, ABC Sports was originally just the sports division of a major American network, ABC. The seeds of its eventual integration with ESPN occurred when ABC bought majority control of ESPN in 1984. A year later, Capital Cities Communications bought ABC. Although some ESPN sportscasters such as John Saunders and Dick Vitale began to also appear on ABC Sports telecasts, ESPN and ABC Sports continued to operate separately.

[edit] Under the Walt Disney Company

After the The Walt Disney Company bought Capital Cities/ABC in 1996, Disney started to slowly integrate ESPN and ABC Sports. ESPN personalities like Chris Berman, Mike Tirico, and Brad Nessler worked on ABC Sports programs. In 1998, ESPN adopted ABC Sports' Monday Night Football graphics and music for its Sunday Night Football broadcasts. During that same year, ESPN signed a five year deal to televise National Hockey League (NHL) games, whereby the cable network essentially bought time on ABC to air selected NHL games. This was noted in copyright beds at the conclusion of the telecasts, i.e. "The Preceding Program has been paid for by ESPN, Inc." ESPN then signed a similar television rights contract in 2002 so it could produce and broadcast National Basketball Association (NBA) games on ABC. Major League Soccer telecasts have a similar arrangement.

[edit] 2000s

Alternate ABC Sports logo, 2001-2006

Between 2000-2002, many ABC Sports programs utilized graphics almost identical to those of ESPN. Until 2004, ABC used the exact same graphics as ESPN for college basketball, NBA and NHL games (with the lone differences being the time/score graphic and the ABC Sports logo replacing ESPN's). One notable exception was Monday Night Football, which switched to different graphics as part of then-new producer Don Ohlmeyer's attempt to provide some new vigor into those telecasts. From 2002 to 2005, ABC changed graphics each fall, while ESPN's basically remained consistent. Both ESPN and ABC switched to new graphics to coincide with the FIFA World Cup in 2006.

Meanwhile, Disney continued to consolidate the corporate structure of ESPN and ABC Sports. Steve Bornstein was given the title as president of both ESPN and ABC Sports in 1996. The sales, marketing, and production departments of both divisions were eventually merged. Thus, ESPN uses some union production crews for its coverage (as the networks normally do), whereas non-union personnel is quite common in cable sports broadcasting.

[edit] The End of ABC Sports

It was announced in 2006 that ABC Sports would be totally integrated into ESPN, using ESPN graphics, music, and production. The brand integration does not directly affect whether ESPN (the cable channel) or ABC carries a particular event, as in most cases this is governed by contracts with the applicable league or organization. Perhaps confusingly, this means that some events, such as the British Open, will be broadcast with ESPN branding during ABC coverage, even though another channel (in this case TNT) owns the cable rights.

The last live sporting event televised by ABC Sports was the United States Championship Game in the Little League World Series on Saturday, August 26, 2006 (ABC was slated to carry the Little League World Series Championship Game on Sunday, August 27, but the game was postponed to Monday August 28 due to rain, subsequently airing on ESPN2).

However, ABC used its own graphics (with the ABC logo), to cover the final round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, similar to the ESPN graphics but with a yellow base.

[edit] The Beginning of ESPN on ABC

The changeover took effect to coincide with the start of the college football season, with the NBA, IndyCar Series, and NASCAR coverage eventually following suit.

On Christmas Day 2006, ESPN on ABC hosted the Los Angeles Lakers vs. the Miami Heat for the third year in a row. This was the NBA's first broadcast on ABC since the integration with ESPN.

Despite the rebranding, ABC Sports appears to still legally exist; George Bodenheimer's official title has remained "president, ESPN Inc. and ABC Sports"[3] despite the rebranding, while ABC itself maintains the copyright over many of the ESPN-branded broadcasts, if they are not contractually assigned to the applicable league or organizer.[4] This appears to be a minor technicality stemming from ESPN being technically a joint venture of Disney (80%) and Hearst Corporation (20%), even though it is operated as a Disney subsidiary. It is not known if Hearst derives any direct revenue from ABC broadcasts

[edit] Trivia

  • When ABC was airing the Saturday morning cartoon series Laff-A-Lympics between 1976 and 1979, commentators Snagglepuss and Mildew Wolf were drawn to be wearing the then-traditional yellow jackets of ABC Sports commentators.
  • From 1968 to 1997, ABC Sports programs ended with the line "This has been a presentation of ABC Sports - Recognized around the world as the leader in sports television."

[edit] Programs throughout the years

[edit] The programs

[edit] Former programs

[edit] Notable personalities

[edit] Main Competitors

[edit] Quotes about the demise of ABC Sports

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[edit] Logos

ABC Sports ident from 1980

ABC Sports ident from 1981

ABC Sports logo from 1987 to 1989

Abc1990.jpg

ABC Sports ident from 1990

Abc1995.jpg

ABC Sports logo ident 1995

Abc1998.jpg

From 1997 to 2006, Wide World of Sports was used as an umbrella title for ABC's weekend sports programming. This ident is from 1998.

ABC Sports oval.png

ABC Sports logo from 1999-2006

Alternate ABC Sports logo, used from 2001-2006

ESPN on ABC logo, September 2006-Present

[edit] References

  1. ↑ [1]
  2. ↑ [2]
  3. ↑ ABC press release, May 1, 2007
  4. ↑ For instance, the copyright disclaimers at the end of ABC's college football broadcasts read "©xxxx American Broadcasting Companies, Inc."

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://sportscasting.wikia.com/wiki/ESPN_on_ABC"