Disney opens ESPN Fan House to help advertisers reach sports fans
Disney wants to help advertisers reach more sports fans under their own roof.
The entertainment giant is launching a new interactive hub in August called ESPN Fan House, which aims to bring fans closer to the sports they enjoy – and let advertisers be part of the exchange. The new “Fan House” will debut alongside ESPN’s college football coverage, including one of its most popular properties, “College GameDay.”
Fans can participate in live polls. trivia and sweepstakes and research merchandise and brand integrations, at on-site events, while watching from home or during interactions with social and digital platforms.
“As fans increasingly expect connected experiences, we’re creating new ways to bring them closer to the world
moments they care about most,” said Rita Ferro, president, global Advertising at The Walt Disney
Company, in a prepared statement. “The scale and frequency of college football creates an unparalleled platform for lasting fan connections – every game week is a new opportunity to deepen that relationship. ESPN Fan House gives fans more ways to connect with ESPN, while giving brands a direct connection to those moments.”
Publicis Sports has already signed an agreement to participate in the new initiative.
The move sees Disney, like other traditional media companies, leaning harder on sports to monetize its relationships with advertisers. In the streaming age, sports broadcasts have proven particularly durable, in large part because they continue to draw the large, simultaneous live audiences that Madison Avenue still craves. Disney is counting on its boisterous football schedule — college games plus, in 2027, the first Super Bowl in more than two decades — to generate interest in other live events, including the Grammys and the Oscars.
“Live sports are among the few things that remain AI-proof, and fans crave deeper connections
to the moments that matter,” said Suzy Deering, CEO of Publicis Sports, in a statement. “Having a solution like ESPN Fan House helps brands reach fans in those moments and provides the opportunity for deeper engagement, impact and measurement. Combined with our extensive portfolio of solutions and insights from our unique fan graph, we can better help our customers increase fan engagement and maximize their sports investments.”
The new hub will rely on Flowcode, a company that generates customizable QR codes that can be updated in real time and often include colors and other elements that help differentiate the advertiser using them from similar efforts.
