05/05/2021
During the past two nights on ESPN, Disney has used two of its most prominent brands to reach out to younger viewers watching the NBA and Major League Baseball.
On Monday night, an alternate, Marvel-themed broadcast of a Golden State Warriors-New Orleans Pelicans game was shown on ESPN2 with an “Arena of Heroes” fictional storyline attached to the game and special graphics used throughout the telecast. Ryan Ruocco, Richard Jefferson, and Angelique Roche called the action, working in many references to Marvel characters such as Iron Man, Captain America, and Black Panther and the supposed contest taking place.
Were fans interested in Marvel mixed in with their NBA for one night? Well… sort of. According to Sports Media Watch, 274,000 viewers tuned in for the Marvel telecast. That’s more than the audience for ESPN’s “Statcast” broadcast for an April 25 Padres-Dodgers game and apparently outdrew ratings for a “Daily Wager” gambling-themed telecast for an April 14 Nets-Sixers game.