ESPN Shutters Esports Editorial Division

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorNFL football games have long commanded TV’s biggest audiences. But Walt Disney is experimenting with bringing its gridiron broadcasts to some smaller viewer niches.Some of Disney’s biggest TV networks will “mega-cast” a January NFL Wild Card game across ESPN, ABC, Freeform, ESPN Deportes and ESPN2, part of a larger series of efforts the company has tried over the last year to woo different kinds of viewers to professional football.

Duchess Meghan has written a deeply personal and brave account of suffering a miscarriage.In a powerful article for The New York Times titled "The Losses We Share," the Duchess of Sussex revealed that she had lost her unborn, second child in July.Starting the piece with a description of a typical morning looking after son Archie, Meghan wrote, "After changing his diaper, I felt a sharp cramp.

Dade Hayes Finance EditorESPN has begun a marketing campaign with the tagline “one app, one tap” as a way to plug its centralized digital destination.The blitz, which features TV spots and digital pieces with emerging rapper Chika, kicked off Sunday night during the American Music Awards telecast on ABC.Disney-owned ESPN is touting its app as part of an overall strategic shift toward digital and streaming.

Bruce Haring pmc-editorial-managerThe fifth annual Esports Awards today honored Riot Games as Publisher of the Year, while Team Secret took home three awards, including Esports Player of the Year for Michal “Nisha” Jankowski and Esports Team of the Year for its Dota 2 roster.Riot Games also took Esports Game of the Year honors in association with The Koyo Store for League of Legends.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Thursday undercut New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, declaring in-person school learning to be “safe” even during high transmission rates, just as NYC schools were shutting down once again.

basketball fans for its top college broadcast team.Ryan Ruocco is joining Rebecca Lobo and Holly Rowe for the lead announcing team this season. Ruocco has worked with Lobo and Rowe on the network's WNBA coverage for the past eight years.“It means a lot," Ruocco said of announcing college women's basketball now as the lead play-by-play voice.

Naman Ramachandran The Cineworld Group, the second largest cinema chain in the world, which also operates the Regal cinemas in the U.S., is exploring an insolvency process in the U.K. that will cut costs, but could shutter some British sites permanently.Known as a “company voluntary arrangement” (CVA), Cineworld is currently discussing the process with lenders, according to the Financial Times.

first reported by Sports Business Journal.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorLibby Geist, a veteran ESPN executive who has been with the sports-media giant since 2008, will leave the company early next year, the latest in a series of prominent content executives to announce their departure from the Disney-owned outlet.Geist is ESPN’s vice president and executive producer of ESPN Films and original content.

Peter White Television EditorEXCLUSIVE: Libby Geist, one of the architects of ESPN’s growing documentary business and exec producer of The Last Dance and O.J: Made In America, is leaving the Disney-owned sports network.Deadline understands that Geist, who is Vice President and Executive Producer, ESPN Films and Original Content, will work through to the end of 2020.

Jill Goldsmith Co-Business EditorWalt Disney CEO Bob Chapek blasted California Governor Gavin Newsom on keeping Disneyland closed despite the conglom’s proven ability to open parks safely and reopening support by unions representing nearly 100% of workers.Chief financial officer Christin McCarthy said the company anticipates Disneyland will remain closed at least through the fiscal quarter — which ends Dec.

Dade Hayes Finance EditorDisney+ reported 73.7 million subscribers as of September 30, with ESPN+ topping 10 million for the first time.The numbers were part of Disney’s fiscal fourth quarter earnings release, which showed a battered company but one that still managed to eclipse Wall Street forecasts.ESPN’s tally of 10.3 million streaming subscribers was almost triple the level of a year ago, though average revenue per subscriber fell 12% to 4.54.

Also Read: ESPN Sets New Senior Executive Team in Wake of Connor Schell Exit, Jodi Markley RetirementWith the closing of ESPN Esports, gamers lose the largest and most mainstream source of esports coverage. There are other outlets covering the space — including The Esports Observer, Esports.com, or Esports Insider — but all operate with less resources and reach than ESPN’s outfit did.The company announced Nov.

Jill Goldsmith Co-Business EditorNew York Governor Andrew Cuomo said bars, restaurants, establishments with New York State liquor licenses (like bowling alleys), and gyms must close at 10 pm statewide starting Friday in a new crackdown to contain COVID-19.The tightening and hyper-vigilance doesn’t bode well for movie theaters, which have been lobbying to reopen in New York City before more key studio releases drop from the holiday schedule.“It looks like the rest of 2020 is going to be a bust

ESPN is restructuring its senior executive leadership team, following the news last week that it would be reducing its workforce by 500 positions. Among the most notable departures: Connor Schell, ESPN's executive vp of content, who will leave in January.

Amanda N'Duka pmc-editorial-managerEXCLUSIVE: OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network has acquired the highly evocative and timely documentary, OWN Spotlight: (In)Visible Portraits from Loving producer and first-time director Oge Egbuonu.

Peter White Television EditorConnor Schell, ESPN’s content boss, has confirmed that he is leaving the Disney-owned sports network to set up his own independent production company.Schell, one of the architects of the broadcaster’s 30 for 30 documentary strand and exec producer on Michael Jordan series The Last Dance and OJ: Made In America, will leave the business on January 8.Separately, Jodi Markley, Executive Vice President, Content Operations & Creative Services, is retiring and will step

500 cut jobs last week.)“When Jodi and Connor each approached me about starting their next chapters, those conversations were filled with mixed emotions,” Jimmy Pitaro said in a statement. “Jodi has been a trailblazer, not just at ESPN, but throughout our industry, and, because of her entrepreneurial approach, ESPN has always led the way.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorESPN is divvying up responsibilities for content in the wake of senior executive Connor Schell’s decision to leave the sports-media giant to start his own production company.Burke Magnus has long been the ESPN executive who makes sure the sports-media giant always has access to games from the big leagues.