July 16, 2014 In order to achieve that vision, we need to An interview with: deliver on two critical elements, which I'll discuss this morning. Those two pieces are content and distribution. JUSTIN CONNOLLY While some of this will not be new to you, it does serve to connect the various pieces that will KEVIN TRAINOR: We're joined by serve as the basis of the network launch. ESPN's Justin Connolly. It starts with recruiting a team of All-Stars, JUSTIN CONNOLLY: Good morning. and we have certainly done that. Stephanie We're going to show you some things this morning, Druley, a 23-year veteran of ESPN, leads our but I'd like to start and just note that I have great production effort. Stephanie has built a team that admiration and respect for Commissioner Slive. is the television production equivalent of the 1980 While my remarks this morning will not include any Georgia Bulldogs. thoughtful quotes from history, I will draw a bit on At ESPN they've worked on shows ranging personal history as he did when he kicked off from SportsCenter to College Game Day, the Media Days this year. College Football Live, the BCS Championship, and In four weeks on August 14th, we will flip the Baseball and Softball College World Series. the switch and launch the SEC Network. August The group has won more than 70 national Emmy 14th already has significance to me personally. It's awards. They know television, they know college both my parents' wedding anniversary and also my sports, and they know the SEC. wife's birthday. But this year I will celebrate both A year ago we talked in generalities about occasions with the debut of the SEC Network. the Saturday triple-headers in football. By every So today I am fortunate to be representing measure, we have more than demonstrated our terrific work being done by over a hundred people football scheduling commitment both in quality and from Atlanta to Birmingham to Bristol to Charlotte in quantity. to New York to all 14 SEC institutions. We will do more than 45 exclusive football I will attempt to channel their passion and games in year one. Over the first 24 days of the their collective energy as I provide a progress football season, the network will carry 18 exclusive report as we approach August 14th. games, eight different SEC teams will open their So first a couple acknowledgments. I want season on the SEC Network, all 14 teams will host to thank the entire team at the SEC office in a game over the first four weeks. In fact, most Birmingham. It's a fantastic group that has helped teams will appear on the SEC Network twice guide us as we developed something so exciting. before we end September. I'd also like to thank sincerely the SEC Our strength of schedule and production fans from across the country. Fans have expertise is matched only by the roster of on-air consistently and loudly expressed support and talent that will headline our football coverage. It's excitement for this new network. an impressive and diverse mix of legends, SEC fans are the inspiration for the veterans and rookies. network. They are a current and future source of Andre Ware, Joe Tessitore, Tim Tebow, constructive critiques and feedback. I can tell you, Maria Taylor, Matt Stinchcomb, Marcus Spears, as you know well, they are a most vigilant group. Jesse Palmer, Dari Nowkhah, Dave Neal, Brent One year ago in this very room we outlined Musburger, Booger McFarland, Greg McElroy, a simple yet lofty vision for the SEC Network. We Kaylee Hartung, Tom Hart, Paul Finebaum and want to bring the passion and excellence of the Tony Barnhart. SEC on screen and serve SEC fans anytime, We have the best company flag football anywhere. J. Connolly - 07.16.14.doc 1 visit our archives at asapsports.com team in America. Our analysts alone have solely on football. We will cover every SEC sport. compiled two Super Bowl rings, two Heisman During our launch week, we will air coverage from Trophy winners, four National Championships, five the Kentucky men's basketball Big Blue Bahamas NFL first-round picks, six first-team All-American Tour, and it's just one example. awards, six SEC Football Championships, and Our fall schedule will be punctuated by 8-All-SEC first team honors. women's soccer and women's volleyball. We will We will frame the content with fresh and air 65 games across those two sports on the dynamic graphics and animation packages. The television network. network will have a distinctive look and feel while There is also great engagement and still maintaining the quality and creativity that is support for the digital event production across ESPN's signature. each campus. A year ago we were just completing Our studio in Charlotte will serve as the our technical surveys of each campus. This past hub for our news coverage. Dari Nowkhah and winter and spring, we tested production capabilities Maria Taylor will be our 1-2 punch for our signature at 12 of the 14 schools. The other two schools news and information program which we title SEC were building their production capabilities that will Now. be available when we launch. SEC Now will air five days per week. We It's an impressive exercise which will help will also be televising the Paul Finebaum radio foster both communication and cooperation. show from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. east. Paul's show will We've also identified our digital live event continue to offer us unique opportunities to engage schedule for the fall. The lineup includes over 200 a wide variety of perspectives from coaches to exclusive soccer and volleyball events. Thanks to analysts to some of the most colorful fans in the each school for embracing the effort thus far. We conference. are on track to surpass our original goal of 550 Let's take a look at some highlights from a digital events by a wide margin. typical week. We've talked about Paul's show and Thanks to the SEC Network, across TV SEC Now. and digital, fans will be able to see every men's SEC in 60 is an enhanced game recap and women's college basketball game from the vehicle to provide the best behind-the-scenes SEC, every baseball and softball conference game coverage from games from the previous week. and every conference gymnastics meet. It's Film Room will provide insights and incredible. analysis directly from an SEC coach who will rotate For subscribers to the network, we will from week-to-week in helping break down past make every SEC Network event available on the games from past games. WatchESPN application. This helps aggregate all SEC Storied is our long feature brand. of the SEC action from both the SEC Network and SEC Walkthrough will provide context and all other ESPN platforms into a single destination. perspective on the upcoming matchup during the This is a sportsfan's paradise and the most football season. fan-friendly approach in a digital environment. On weekends we've talked about SEC Finally on the content side. We've Nation and we've talked about the full complement consistently noted that storytelling would be a point of games. We're also going to provide halftime of differentiation for us. Features of all lengths and coverage with SEC Now. We'll do SEC subject matter will texture the network. The Scoreboard which will recap a total of the day's expansion of our long form feature brand SEC games from each Saturday. We'll do an SEC Storied has been a focus for our ESPN films team. Game of the week which will highlight the most We will debut four films over the first four weeks of exciting game from that previous Saturday. SEC the network. Rewind will dip into the vault to find classic games Let's get a flavor of the SEC Storied brand from past seasons of SEC action. and what we have in the queue. Well, this is representative of the core programs staples. We will also take advantage of (Video Shown.) impromptu content opportunities and seasonal specials like the 14 different football preview shows that will run this August. While it gets buried at Football Media JUSTIN CONNOLLY: So later tonight Days, this is not a network dedicated or reliant J. Connolly - 07.16.14.doc 2 visit our archives at asapsports.com many of you will have a chance to see an the SEC on screen and serving SEC fans anytime, expanded segment of the Gaines Mullins project anywhere. which is entitled It's Time. It's a powerful story and So here is to good health and great represents the types of story we aspire to tell on success for all 14 SEC football teams in the this network. upcoming seasons. So let's move to the second topic, Many thanks for your time this morning. distribution. And one last plug. Your opportunity to take it all in Well, I don't have sexy highlight videos or begins at 6 p.m. east, 5 p.m. central on Thursday, graphics packages, this component is critical to August 14th. success. Judging by the number of distribution Thank you. questions from this group, I think everyone appreciates its importance. FastScripts by ASAP Sports A year ago I mentioned that success in this area would be the product of both patience and persistence, plotting and methodical distribution negotiation do not track the hyperactive news cycle.