ESPN, which is owned by the Walt Disney Company, is all set to strengthen its roots among the local fans. With this aim, it is using web as a weapon. Now, the news, which is alarming for the local newspapers, is that it plans to announce local Web sites in New York, Los Angeles and Dallas.
It will be alarming news for local news papers. Though local papersâ sports sections generally do not generate much advertising revenue, it helps them to keep their subscribers interested.
ESPNChicago.com, which has been introduced on April 13, is an example. The site covers the cityâs seven professional teams and sports at nine area colleges. Besides this, there are also plans to cover high schools.
It will be interesting to watch how an international sports brand approaches the local market. There will also be a problem of keeping the quality of content which are contributed from local fans.
Via: New York Times
