EA deal allows EA access to ESPN personalities

[maximus]

...

By Darren Rovell
ESPN.com
Faced with tough competition from the ESPN-branded NFL 2K5, Electronic Arts secured exclusive video game rights for its Madden franchise last month that prevented other gaming companies from using NFL marks and players' names for the next five years.


On Monday, ESPN and EA announced a 15-year integrated marketing agreement that will allow for all of EA's sports franchises to have access to the network's programming and personalities.


The deal will help alleviate the slight awkwardness in the relationship between ESPN/ABC and EA. Despite the fact that ESPN had its own branded football game, John Madden and Al Michaels, who are under contract to broadcast ABC's Monday Night Football, are the voices of EA's Madden game.


"Our mission is to be in a place that is central to our fans, wherever they are watching, reading or logging on," said John Skipper, ESPN's executive vice president of advertising sales, new media and consumer products. "Video games has become the new medium and we felt that it was crucial for us to be there in the biggest way possible."


The alliance pairs one of the most powerful names in sports with the leading sports video game maker.


"There is no better innovative partner than ESPN," said Frank Gibeau, EA's senior vice president of marketing. "We want to grow the sports category aggressively and nobody matches the capability, brand power and creative thinking in the news information and entertainment world."


The deal will commence in 2006, as ESPN still has one year left in its partnership with Sega.


Many in the video game industry have speculated that EA's buying out of the NFL rights could lead to ridding the sports video game landscape of any meaningful competition. NFL-branded games are typically the money generators in the sports video game business. More games with the NFL license are sold than NBA and Major League Baseball games combined, according to the NPD Group, a market tracking firm.


Midway has announced plans to make a non-licensed NFL game called "Playmakers," loosely based on the ESPN drama. But other players -- including Sony's 989 Sports and Microsoft, which sat out last year -- have not talked of entering the football gaming business without the license.


Sega formally took on ESPN names in the fall of 2003 and the loss of the network's branding could take a toll on its other licensed products, which include NBA, Major League Baseball and men's college basketball games. Skipper said that the immediate plans call for the unveiling a branded baseball game with Sega in March. Calls placed to Visual Concepts, Sega's sports studio, were not returned.


Take-Two Interactive markets and distributes the Sega games.


"The ESPN license was principally a branding tool and as such does not have a meaningful impact on game play," said Take-Two spokesman Ed Nebb. "The key to the video game business, especially sports, is to develop the best game possible and the games produced by Visual Concepts are among the highest-rated and best-reviewed sports games available."


Before this year, EA's Madden franchise, which debuted in 1989, dominated the football game marketplace. But the Madden 2005 game was seriously challenged by ESPN's NFL 2K5, thanks to good reviews and a pricing war. NFL 2K5 was available in stores in July for $19.95. The Madden game was priced at $49.95 for three months until the company finally relented and lowered it by $20.


Sports video games accounted for more than 20 percent ($1.2 billion) of the $5.8 billion video game market last year, according to the NPD Group. Gibeau said that the alliance could help EA compete against other non-sports titles like Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto franchise and Microsoft's Halo.


Since the deal with the NFL, EA's stock price (NASDAQ: ERTS) has risen 10.4 percent to $59.84 a share, just $3.87 off its 52-week high.

[GrantDawg]

How could you miss this already being posted?

[maximus]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

How could you miss this already being posted?

did you read the thread? Its not the same....

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by maximus

did you read the thread? Its not the same....

Yes it is. Did you read it: http://dynamic2.gamespy.com/~fof/for...ad.php?t=34761

[SackAttack]

Yes, it is. There's a thread almost 60 posts long devoted to the fact that EA bought the ESPN license. It's been near the top of page 1 all day.

[Ragone]

Like ea would buy the rights to espn and not get the rights to the personalities..


"Hello and welcome to sportscenter, i'm John johnson alongside my tag team partner Steve Stevens"

[maximus]

Originally Posted by SackAttack

Yes, it is. There's a thread almost 60 posts long devoted to the fact that EA bought the ESPN license. It's been near the top of page 1 all day.

you see, thats weird. I can't see any other thread about espn/ea. I'm having some major forum issues.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by maximus

you see, thats weird. I can't see any other thread about espn/ea. I'm having some major forum issues.

Check the link in my post.

[Kodos]

I work with a guy named John Johnson. But neither of us works at ESPN.

[maximus]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

Check the link in my post.

you see i can see that link but on the board i can't.

thanks, sorry guys.

[sovereignstar]

delete the thread!!! {macaulay culkin} ahhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!

[maximus]

Originally Posted by sovereignstar

delete the thread!!! {macaulay culkin} ahhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!

Do I have access to delete my own threads? If so, I'll do it.

Also, why is this forum acting weird for me. I mean, I can see only certain threads appearently and the posts are all out of whack.

(if this is an old problem, I apologize but I just started coming back to these forums a week ago. So this is all new to me).

[Ragone]

No don't delete the thread.. people will LOSE POSTS!

[SackAttack]

maximus, are you on dynamic5? I think that's the server that had been having problems.

[maximus]

Originally Posted by SackAttack

maximus, are you on dynamic5? I think that's the server that had been having problems.

I'm not sure. How would or do I check that? Thanks.

[SackAttack]

Look at your "address" bar in your browser and check the URL. If it says "dynamic5.gamespy.com," then you're on Dynamic5. If that doesn't work, hover over a link on the board and see what it says the URL for that is.

[maximus]

If it says dynamic5.gamespy.com what should I do?

[Pyser]

change the 5 to a 2.

[maximus]

Thanks.

Hmm, I wonder why I was stuck on the other one.

[Logan]

Relax guys...its not the end of the world if there are duplicate threads anyway...

Especially since there are about 7 parody threads popping up at a time.

[Ragone]

oh man f that.. their better be a option in game menus to turn off stuart scottebonics

[GoldenEagle]

Does this mean we could hear Stuart Scott screaming "BOO YEAH" on a NFL highlight show?

Dear God, please no.