ESPN on ABC
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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] Despite its name it is not a simulcast of ESPN on the ABC network.
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[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
Between 2000-2002, many ABC Sports programs utilized graphics almost identical to those of ESPN. 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.
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 older-styled ESPN graphics but with a yellow base. In 2008 however, it used the newer yellow and red ESPN graphics which had been used on other recent telecasts.
[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]In addition, 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] Taglines
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] 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.
[edit] Programs throughout the years
[edit] The programs
- College football (1961-present)
- Former home of exclusive NCAA package
- Currently first pick of ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac-10 matchups
- Rose Bowl (1989-present), Capital One Bowl
- Saturday nights (2006-present)
- College Basketball
- Little League World Series (1963-present)
- Auto racing
- IndyCar Series (1996-present)
- Indianapolis 500 (1965-present)
- NASCAR (1961, 1971, 1975-1976, 1979-1982, 1984-2000, 2007-present)
- IndyCar Series (1996-present)
- World Cup Soccer (1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014)
- Major League Soccer (1996-present)
- X Games (1997-present)
- NBA on ABC (1965-1973; 2002-present)
- WNBA (2002-present)
- Belmont Stakes (1986-2000, 2006-present)
- Breeders' Cup (2008)
- Russell Athletic ESPN Arena Football (1998-2002, 2007-)
- British Open, Women's British Open and Senior British Open golf (through 2009)
- Scripps National Spelling Bee (2006-present)
[edit] Former programs
- Monday Night Football (1970-2005)
- Super Bowls XIX, XXII, XXV, XXIX, XXXIV, XXXVII, and XL
- Wildcard Saturday NFL playoff games 1990-2005
- Thursday Night NFL Kickoff game 2003-2005
- Pro Bowl 1975-1987, 1995-2003
- College football:Sugar Bowl (1954-1958; 1971-2006), Orange Bowl (1999-2006), Fiesta Bowl (1999-2006).
- ABC Game of the Week (1953-1954, 1960-1965)
- Monday Night Baseball (1976-1988, telecasts moved to Thursday for 1989)
- The NHL on ABC (1992-1994, 1999-2004)
- Baseball Night in America (1994 and 1995)
- 1995 World Series (Games 1, 4, & 5)
- Champ Car World Series (1983-2001, 2007)
- Formula One racing (2001-2002)
- Winter Olympic Games (1964, 1968, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988)
- Summer Olympic Games (1968, 1972, 1976, 1984)
- U.S. Open (early 1960s-1994, now on NBC)
- American Football League (1960-1964)
- PGA Championship (until 1990, now on CBS and TNT)
- LPGA Kraft Nabisco Championship (1991-2005)
- PGA Tour golf (through 1978, 1999-2006)
- Wide World of Sports (1961-1996 as a series, blanket title circa 1996-2006)
- Pro Bowlers Tour (1962-1997)
- North American Soccer League (1979-1981)
- Kentucky Derby (1975-2000)
- Preakness Stakes (1977-2000)
- World League of American Football (1991-1992 as "ABC's World League")
- Army-Navy Game (1992-1995)
[edit] Notable personalities
[edit] Main competitors
[edit] Quotes about the demise of ABC Sports
| “ | My heart just weeps for Roone's legacy.[5] | ” |
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—Dick Ebersol, chairman of NBC Universal Sports, whose career started as an Olympic researcher at ABC Sports before he became Roone Arledge's executive assistant. |
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| “ | It was inevitable. When ABC was sold to Capital Cities, and then to Disney, the handwriting was on the wall. A lot of people worked to make ABC what it was, and they deserve more than to have their legacy callously tossed aside.[5] | ” |
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—Veteran ABC Sports announcer Keith Jackson. Jackson added that Capital Cities' refused to fully back bids by Dennis Swanson, Roone Arledge's successor, to acquire the TV rights to the 1992 and 1996 Summer Olympics, which were signature purchases for NBC. According to Jackson, Capital Cities didn't just short, they cut him off. The last Olympic Games that ABC televised were the 1988 Winter Olympics from Calgary. |
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| “ | The tail took over the dog. The world has changed.[5] | ” |
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—Longtime Monday Night Football commentator Frank Gifford. |
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| “ | The opportunity to marry the ESPN brand to the ABC television network to better serve fans is what this is all about.... anybody looking for the demise of ABC Sports is barking up the wrong tree.[5] | ” |
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—George Bodenheimer, the president of ESPN. |
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| “ | I think the tradition of ABC Sports has been incorporated within ESPN. I think your next question is what would Roone Arledge think, and I'll tell you Roone could never have anticipated the media world of 2006. If he had or if he was alive today, I think he would support the move because of the power of the ESPN brand.[6] | ” |
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—Former CBS Sports president Neal Pilson |
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[edit] References
- ^ ESPN - 'ESPN on ABC' to debut during college football season - ESPN
- ^ SI.com - Writers - Richard Deitsch: ABC Sports to become 'ESPN on ABC' - Thursday August 10, 2006 8:01PM
- ^ ABC press release, May 1, 2007
- ^ For instance, the copyright disclaimers at the end of ABC's college football broadcasts read "©xxxx American Broadcasting Companies, Inc."
- ^ a b c d ABC Sports Is Dead at 45; Stand by for ESPN
- ^ Goodbye ABC Sports, hello ESPN on ABC
[edit] External links
- ABC Sports Website
- Saunders: ABC's demise signals end of an era
- What to Watch: Rest in peace, ABC Sports
- The Evolution of ABC
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| American Football: Monday Night Football* | Saturday Night Football |
| Auto Racing: NASCAR |
| Baseball: Monday Night Baseball* | Baseball Night in America* | Major League Baseball on ABC* |
| Basketball: NBA on ABC | NBA Countdown | NBA Inside Stuff | NBA Access with Ahmad Rashad |
| Hockey: The NHL on ABC* | Miracle on Ice |
| Horse Racing: Triple Crown Productions* |
| Other programming: ABC's Wide World of Sports* | Superstars* |
| See also: United States sports broadcasting lists |
| Asterisk (*) indicates that the program aired only during the ABC Sports era (in other words, the program ended prior to August 2006), not during the ESPN on ABC era. |
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