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Includes Twelve U.S. and Six International Live
Top Rank on ESPN Fights Solely for ESPN+
Starting April 21 with Amir Khan vs. Phil Lo Greco from Liverpool, England
ESPN and Disney Direct-to-Consumer and International announced today an extensive line up of exclusive boxing programming for ESPN+, the new direct-to-consumer sports streaming service launching April 12. Additionally, through an expansion of ESPN’s agreement with Top Rank, ESPN+ will add 12 exclusive world-class Top Rank on ESPN cards to the annual line up.
The monthly live ESPN+ events start Saturday, June 9, with a world championship bout showcasing pound-for-pound superstar Terence “Bud” Crawford as he seeks to win a world title in a third weight class when he challenges welterweight world champion Jeff “The Hornet” Horn at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. ESPN+ will also exclusively stream six international Top Rank on ESPN cards per year, giving subscribers access to some of the sport’s best international fights. The first international live event to stream on ESPN+ will be Saturday, April 21, when former unified junior welterweight world champion Amir Khan faces Phil Lo Greco in a welterweight battle, live from Liverpool, England.
The agreement sets the table for an integrated alliance between Top Rank and ESPN’s industry-leading networks and platforms to allow all forms of Top Rank content, including additional original programming and library content, to reach more fans in a variety of new ways.
The 12 additional Top Rank on ESPN cards and six international live events are exclusive to ESPN+. Subscribers of ESPN+ will also have access to a variety of new and existing boxing content throughout the year, including:
- A consistent studio show covering all the latest news, results and storylines
- The unmatched, on-demand treasure chest of the greatest fights of all time, including hundreds of fights from the ESPN Big Fights Library and the Top Rank archive, including Ali vs. Frazier I-III, Ali vs. Foreman, Leonard vs. Duran I-III, Hagler vs. Hearns and Mayweather vs. Pacquiao, among many, many more
- All Top Rank on ESPN undercard fights
- Re-airs of all Top Rank on ESPN and Top Rank on ESPN PPV bouts
- Weigh-ins, post-fight interviews and press conferences
- News, information and opinion across ESPN platforms
“ESPN is thrilled to take our relationship with Top Rank to a new level via this innovative and exclusive distribution on ESPN+,” said Burke Magnus, ESPN Executive Vice President of Programming and Scheduling. “By distributing more Top Rank events and boxing content than ever before, we are showing fans our commitment to boxing through a more personalized and targeted manner.”
“Top Rank is thrilled to extend our agreement to include these additional world-class events for ESPN+,” said Top Rank President Todd duBoef. “This addition offers a 360 approach to the entire boxing vertical, including live world class events, unparalleled coverage, as well as access to historical moments in the sport.”
Launching April 12, ESPN+ will be an integrated part of a completely redesigned ESPN App. Already the leading sports app, the new ESPN App will be the premier all-in-one digital sports platform for fans and is a showcase of the company’s culture of innovation. With a richer, increasingly more personalized experience, the new ESPN App will curate all of ESPN’s incredible content into an experience unique to each fan’s individual tastes. ESPN+ will also be available through ESPN.com.
ESPN+ is the first-ever multi-sport, direct-to-consumer subscription streaming service from Disney Direct-to-Consumer and International in partnership with ESPN and featuring ESPN branded content. It will offer fans thousands of additional live events, on-demand content and original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks. This includes hundreds of MLB, NHL and MLS games, Grand Slam tennis, Top Rank boxing, PGA Tour golf, college sports, international rugby, cricket, the full library of ESPN Films (including 30 for 30) and more. Fans can subscribe to ESPN+ for just $4.99 a month (or a discounted annual price of $49.99 per year) and cancel at any time.
Last August, ESPN and Top Rank announced a vast and exclusive, multimedia agreement to make ESPN the home of Top Rank in the U.S. and Canada. Under the agreement, ESPN currently televises live fights on ESPN and ESPN Deportes and streams them on the ESPN App. It also airs all Top Rank content in English and in French on Canadian sister networks TSN and RDS.
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About Disney Direct-to-Consumer and International
Comprised of Disney’s international media businesses and the Company’s various streaming services, the Direct-to-Consumer and International segment aligns technology, content and distribution platforms to expand the Company’s global footprint and deliver world-class, personalized entertainment experiences to consumers around the world. The recently announced segment is responsible for The Walt Disney Company’s direct-to-consumer businesses globally, including the ESPN+ sports streaming service, programmed in partnership with ESPN; the upcoming Disney-branded direct-to-consumer streaming service; and the Company’s ownership stake in Hulu. As part of the Direct-to-Consumer and International segment, BAMTECH Media, developer of the ESPN+ and Disney-branded streaming platforms, oversees all consumer-facing digital technology and products across the Company.
About ESPN
ESPN, Inc. is the leading multinational, multimedia sports entertainment company featuring the broadest portfolio of multimedia sports assets with over 50 business entities. Based in Bristol, Conn., ESPN Plaza includes 950,000 square feet in 16 buildings on 123 acres (116 contiguous), with additional office space (400,000 sq. ft.) rented nearby. The company is 80 percent owned by ABC, Inc., an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. The Hearst Corporation holds a 20 percent interest in ESPN. For more information, visit www.espn.com/boxing, @ESPN and @ESPNBoxeo.
About Top Rank
Innovation has been the mantra at Top Rank since it was established in 1966 by Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum. The boxing industry’s leading promotional company, Top Rank has shaped, developed and promoted the careers of top international pay-per-view superstars and Hall of Famers, including Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Tommy Hearns, Oscar De La Hoya, Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Miguel Cotto, Erik Morales, Terence Crawford, and Vasiliy Lomachenko. Known for creating strategic collaborations between athletes, sponsors and television networks, Top Rank launched in 1980, Top Rank on ESPN which ran for a historic 16 years. Top Rank then launched another very popular televised boxing series in 1996 titled Solo Boxeo.
Some of the most legendary and spectacular events in boxing history were promoted by Top Rank, including: 26 Muhammad Ali events; Leonard vs. Hearns, Arguello vs. Pryor, Duran vs. Leonard; Hagler vs. Hearns, Leonard vs. Hagler, Foreman vs. Holyfield, Morales vs. Barrera, De La Hoya vs. Trinidad, and the most lucrative fight in boxing history, Mayweather vs. Pacquiao. In addition to the previously mentioned super fights, Top Rank possesses one of the largest sports libraries, which includes nearly 10,000 fights and dates back over 50 years.
Top Rank has been an architect of the global growth of the sport by staging high profile events in landmark settings around the world, including every major arena in Las Vegas, The Venetian Macao, Yankee Stadium, Radio City Music Hall, Madison Square Garden, The “Fabulous” Forum and AT&T Stadium. Top Rank has also been the leader within the boxing industry in creating unforgettable in-arena experiences for fans while also producing live telecasts that generate high ratings for television partners.
For more information, visit www.toprank.com, @TRBoxing, and www.facebook.com/trboxing.
Media Contacts:
ESPN: Ardi Dwornik, 646-547-5612, [email protected], @ESPN_Ardi
ESPN+: Paul Melvin, 860-766-5069, [email protected], @PaulESPNPR
Top Rank:
Evan Korn, 516-510-6014, [email protected], @KornerMan44
Gardy Lopez, 787-246-3668, [email protected], @GardyLopez
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