ESPN: English and Scottish Premier League broadcaster

http://theherald.co.uk/sport/headlines/display.var.2523570.0.ESPN_vows_to_keep_focus_on_fans.php

ESPN vows to keep focus on fans
ESPN, the American sports broadcaster that has bought rights to the Scottish Premier League, goes live in the UK today - so are we in for American accents, over-excited excited broadcasters and cries of "PK!" for penalty kick? ESPN promise not.

The network will target the domestic audience with British commentators and a promise to give viewers what they are used to seeing.

"We think about being locally relevant," said Russell Wolff, the American who is executive vice president and managing director of ESPN International. "The last thing we want is for people to go, Oh, American sports media company.' We want them to go, Hey, that's my sports channel, in my country'."

After Setanta's much-publicised demise, ESPN, which is 80% owned by The Walt Disney Company, acquired the rights in late June to televise 46 live Premier League matches in the coming season and 23 in each of the following three seasons. Last month, they struck a cut-price joint deal with Sky for the SPL rights.

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