| Traug Keller: |
They’ve launched interactive ESPN Radio content for Slacker Radio listeners, creating a comprehensive and personal listening experience for sports enthusiasts. “ESPN on Slacker Radio” is now available on the web, on home entertainment devices and on smartphones with optimized ESPN station creation on Android devices. An updated Slacker app with ESPN for Apple iOS has been submitted and is pending Apple approval.
So, listeners using the free Slacker Basic Radio service now have access to an interactive, programmed ESPN station. Slacker Radio Plus and Slacker Premium Radio subscribers now have unlimited access to the ESPN Radio integration, including an ad-free programmed station with unlimited skips and the ability to create highly personalized, myESPN Radio sports stations based on favorite sports, teams or ESPN programs. Subscribers also have the option to add hourly SportsCenter updates to any Slacker station.
The interactive ESPN Radio station also offers access to content from multiple ESPN programs and platforms, including Mike and Mike in the Morning, SportsCenter, The Herd with Colin Cowherd and more.
“Offering new and different ways for sports fans to access ESPN Radio content continues to be rewarding and exciting,” said Traug Keller, SVP/Production Business Divisions, ESPN. “This new relationship puts the fan more in control by providing customizable ESPN content.”
Keller tells RBR-TVBR more about why the deal was done and why digital is so important to the company. Listen to the audio, above.
RBR-TVBR observation: If listeners can generate a whole list of customized music stations, why not customized Sports, News or Talk stations as well? Sure, one can create a list of podcasts to take with, but this makes it a whole lot easier. We would expect providers like Pandora, iHeartRadio and Slacker to be rolling these out more and more as deals are struck. The downside to it all is there will be less folks listening to the content via over-the-air broadcast affiliates.
