14 DAY TRIAL // The ESPN sports channel, owned by Walt Disney Co., seems to be interested in broadcasting its productions via the iTunes virtual store.
So far there aren't any real signs of discussions and negotiation between ESPN and Apple representatives, but the successful cable sports network wishes to offer its very own set of original shows and game clips via "any pipe, any device," said ABC Sports president George Bodenheimer at the UBS global media conference. The goal of any TV station is to make its productions available at any time and anywhere, and that's exactly what the iTunes and iPod combination can do, so it sounds like a logical step for a network to have its products made available by iTunes.
The ESPN channel doesn't resort to iTunes as the only platform to have a great impact on users. The channel had announced earlier plans to launch a cell phone service under its own brand, called Mobile ESPN, by leasing space on Sprint Nextel's cell phone network. Phones bearing the ESPN brand name should be available in Best Buy stores by next February, Bodenheimer said.