For years ESPN has thrived as one of the most lucrative franchises on US cable TV, commanding high license fees for the loyal viewers who expect to see the sports network in their basic subscription packages.
Now, ESPN parent the Walt Disney Co, is out to replicate that success in the broadband Internet market as it pursues on-demand delivery of content ranging from sports and news to hit TV shows like "Lost" and "Desperate Housewives."
In addition to its splashy deal to provide existing TV shows for Apple Computer Inc's online iTunes store, Disney has been quietly striking deals with Internet service providers to deliver new programming as part of a basic broadband package.
ESPN rolled out the first such broadband content last year with its ESPN360 Web site, offering live game coverage, sports clips and commentary and TV shows.
A recently completed distribution pact with Verizon brought the total number of broadband households with access to ESPN360 to 7.5 million, and ESPN is seeking deals with more providers.
To satisfy the sports appetites of its tech-savvy fans, ESPN began looking for ways to duplicate the success of its cable-based business model online and decided that broadband was the new frontier, said Sean Bratches, executive vice president of marketing and sales.
"Everybody else is ... putting content out over free Internet and creating an ad-supported model for their product," Bratches said. "What we elected to do is take broadband products and license them to distributors."
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