ESPN3 to Launch espnW Channel on Title IX Anniversary

ESPN3 to Launch espnW Channel on Title IX Anniversary

170 hours of live women’s sports events available June 23-July 31 through the ESPN3 player on espnW.com

ESPN3 will launch an espnW channel dedicated exclusively to live women’s sports events on Saturday, June 23, the 40th anniversary of Title IX.  At launch, the multi-screen sports network is slated to carry 170 hours of live women’s events through July 31 via an ESPN3 player on espnW.com, which will continue to be made available to fans on the site moving forward.  More than half of the events available through the espnW channel are exclusive to ESPN3.

“espnW’s digital offerings continue to expand and an espnW-branded channel for live events is a logical extension, enabling us to further elevate women’s sports while serving passionate fans,” said Laura Gentile, vice president, espnW.

“ESPN3 has consistently delivered live women’s sports events since it first launched,” said Damon Phillips, vice president, ESPN3.  “We’re making it easier for fans of women’s sports to find the events they care most about, and creating an espnW channel to aggregate those events delivers on our mission to serve this audience on the best available screen.”

The programming lineup of live events now available on espnW.com will include:

?         Basketball – WNBA, USA Basketball and exclusive coverage of AAU High School Basketball;

?         Volleyball – exclusive coverage of the AAU Junior Girls National Volleyball Championships;

?         Softball – USA Softball, World Cup of Softball and exclusive coverage of the National Pro Fastpitch;

?         Tennis – Wimbledon with exclusive outer court coverage and U.S. Open Series tournaments Bank of the West Classic and Mercury Insurance Open;

?         Golf – U.S. Women’s Open; and

?         X Games Los Angeles – including four events featuring female athletes available exclusively on ESPN3.

The full schedule:

ESPN3 is ESPN’s live multi-screen sports network that delivers thousands of global sports events annually online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app and through ESPN on Xbox LIVE to Gold level members.  It is currently available in 73 million homes at no additional cost to fans who receive their high-speed Internet connection or video subscription from an affiliated service provider.  The network is alsoavailable at no cost to approximately 21 million U.S. college students and U.S.-based military personnel via computers connected to on-campus educational networks and on-base military networks.

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espnW To Unveil Historic Title IX Mosaic in Washington June 21

Mosaic Commemorating 40^th Anniversary of Historic Legislation Features Largest-Ever Collection of Images From Female Athletes; will be Projected upon Newseum’s First Amendment Tablet

espnW will publicly unveil a digital mosaic featuring the largest-ever collection of women and girls’ sports images—all submitted by the athletes themselves—on Thursday, June 21, at the Newseum in Washington, DC, as part of the network’s ongoing examination and recognition of the 40^th anniversary of Title IX.

The mosaic’s unveiling will take place after sunset at approximately 9:30 p.m. ET, when it will be projected upon the Newseum’s defining architectural feature — the 74–foot–high marble First Amendment tablet on the front façade. The Newseum is an interactive museum of news and history located between the White House and the U.S. Capitol on Pennsylvania Avenue.

More than 3,000 female athletes of all abilities and achievement levels submitted personal photos, along with quotes encapsulating what Title IX has meant to them, to construct the mosaic project, through espnW.com’s The Power of IX microsite.

The mosaic also includes photos of espnW’s Top 40 Athletes of the Past 40 Years, a ranking determined by an industry-wide blue-ribbon panel.  espnW and ESPN have been counting down towards the number one athlete since April 30 and that athlete will be officially revealed Friday, June 22, on the 11 p.m. SportsCenter.  The next day—40 years to the date that the Title IX legislation was passed—a full day of women in sports programming will be featured across ESPN, ESPN2, ABC, ESPNU, ESPN3 and ESPN Classic

“The impact of Title IX goes far beyond the playing field,” said Laura Gentile, vice president, espnW. “Its impact on sports is undeniable, and the stories being told through each of these pictures tell us what otherwise might never have been shared had it not been for this legislation. We’re proud to give these stories the public platform they deserve.”

In addition to its ongoing importance on espnW.com, coverage of the 40^th anniversary of Title IX continues to be an ESPN companywide initiative across all platforms.

• Television:

The week of June 17 will feature content on various studio shows, culminating on June 23 with women in sports

programming featured across ESPN, ESPN2, ABC, ESPNU, ESPN3 and ESPN Classic throughout the day.

•  Print:

ESPN The Magazine’s first-ever “Women in Sports” issue sheds light on phenomenal women – women who own who they

are, control their image, command their careers, and play how they want to play, including a cover  story on Danica Patrick.

The Mag also takes a look at how Title IX gave women greater entry into the wide world of sports, and yet how 40 years later,

many obstacles are still in their way

• ESPN Films:

ESPN Films will present “Nine for IX,” a series of documentaries in 2013 that will highlight women in sports, all

created by female storytellers. Good Morning America anchor Robin Roberts and Tribeca Productions co-founder

Jane Rosenthal are executive producers of the series.

About espnW

espnW’s mission is to connect female fans with the sports they love and follow.  espnW.com provides an engaging environment where women are an integral part of the sports conversation, share their perspective on men’s and women’s sports and find the motivation and support for their athletic goals and interests. Founded in July 2010, espnW, [espnw.com], is an emerging business that consists primarily of a digital product suite including pc web, mobile web and social media.  Founding partners include Nike, Gatorade and P&G (Venus and Secret). espnW is also supported by a strong social media presence on Twitter and Facebook. The Women’s Sports Foundation is a charity of choice of espnW

About the Newseum

The Newseum — a 250,000-square-foot museum of news and history — offers visitors an experience that blends five centuries of news history with up-to-the-second technology and hands-on exhibits. Within its seven levels of galleries and theaters, the Newseum offers a unique environment that takes museum-goers behind the scenes to experience how and why news is made. The museum is ranked one of the top attractions in Washington D.C. Visit newseum.org or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

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