With so many channels, services, and options to choose from, one of the biggest plights of the avid sports fan is trying to figure out where their favorite team’s game is playing.
ESPN’s Where to Watch is now here to help.
Launching today on the industry-leading ESPN App and ESPN.com, Where to Watch is an easy-to-use guide for sports fans to find where to watch any sports event on ESPN platforms and beyond, including broadcast, cable, and regional sports networks and streaming services.
“Simplifying discovery of sporting events and where a fan can watch has become increasingly important as sports viewing has become fragmented across networks and platforms,” Brian Marshall, Vice President, Sports Product & Technology, Disney Entertainment & ESPN Technology, said. “ESPN has always been the first stop for sports fans, and as we continue to evolve as the preeminent digital sports platform, we are proud to meet the needs of fans with new features to improve the discoverability of live sports and simplify their consumption journeys.”
To find out more about Where to Watch, we spoke with Chris Jason, Executive Director, Product Management, and Tim Bayus, VP, ESPN Strategy.
How will ESPN’s Where to Watch make sports fans lives easier?
Chris Jason: We built this with the sports fan in mind. As sports viewing has become fragmented across many TV networks and streaming platforms, it has become more difficult and confusing than ever for people to know where they can watch their favorite teams, players, and sports on any given night.
I am a huge basketball fan. My kids and I have watched every Caitlin Clark game this season, but it hasn’t been easy. The Indiana Fever have had games on ESPN, ABC, ION, NBATV, CBS Sports Network, and Prime Video, and we find ourselves going from app to app, channel to channel, to find the game when we know Clark is playing.
Where to Watch will show you exactly where the game or event is playing in a simple, smooth user interface that we hope will be a service to fans – and a daily habit. With persistent and prominent access from every screen, we’ve made it easily accessible from any screen in ESPN.com or ESPN App.
Can you explain a little bit more about how Where to Watch works?
Jason: At its core, Where to Watch is a proprietary database of sports events and the networks and services airing them, presented in a smooth, simple-to-use interface on ESPN.com and ESPN App.
The Where to Watch experience is organized into two primary elements: Favorites and the Guide. For users with favorite teams, sports, and leagues, it will display upcoming events right at the top of the screen so they can easily plan their viewing. If a user has not yet personalized their ESPN experience (or wants to modify it), they can do so from right within Where to Watch.
Where to Watch is a scrollable, time-based guide that lists most sports events occurring by time on a given day. Fans can view all the sports events and be linked directly to ESPN network streams (via ESPN+ or TV Everywhere authentication), as well as select partner networks, which include NESN and Monumental Sports at launch. Fans can filter Where to Watch by league (NFL, UFC, WNBA, etc.) or watch option (ESPN+, Peacock, FOX, etc.) and search for events.
While ESPN has always had a robust schedule of ESPN events, we don’t present all of them! To solve that problem for fans, we had to augment our event database with network information beyond ESPN and some of the major national networks we were already maintaining.
In collaboration with the ESPN Stats and Information Group, our Engineering team improved the tools used to display the watch options in Where to Watch, among other ESPN touchpoints. As part of this initiative, we’ve added support for over 100 new networks and streaming platforms, now totaling over 250 potential media sources.
Why did ESPN create Where to Watch?
Jason: Sometimes the highest impact ideas are the simplest ones. It should be easier to find out where you can watch sports. By solving this problem, we re-enforce ESPN’s position as the preeminent digital sports platform and continue to build trust and loyalty. If fans love using our products, if they get value and they trust that we are obsessed with serving sports fans, they will spend time with us. That benefits every business we operate.
What’s the impact of Where to Watch on ESPN and The Walt Disney Company’s business?
Tim Bayus: Where to Watch is primarily a fan-forward feature that is another step in our efforts to solve the pain points of discoverability and fragmentation. We have established initial partnerships with a few regional sports networks (NESN and Monumental Sports) to link fans directly to partner networks and content. We are optimistic about expanding the availability and number of partners over time.
ESPN Digital is by far the No. 1 digital sports destination and is uniquely positioned to deliver a more accessible, seamless viewing experience to a broader audience of sports fans.
ESPN is launching its stand-alone direct-to-consumer product in 2025. Will Where to Watch be associated with it in any way?
Bayus: By the time our new DTC product launches in 2025 we are hopeful Where to Watch has become a part of the sports fan’s daily routine. We will make it easy for people to subscribe and stream, set reminders, and generally plan their sports viewing day with us.
Where to Watch will be a great discoverability tool for fans to see the breadth of live sports that can be watched on our DTC service. And, while Where to Watch will link directly to our standalone direct-to-consumer product, we have built it to serve all fans – those subscribed to the ESPN DTC product and those who aren’t.