ESPN Kicks Off 140 Hours Of Live UEFA EURO 2020 Coverage This Week

ESPN networks and ABC will present all 51 matches and 140 combined hours of live coverage of the UEFA European Football Championship 2020, June 11 through July 11. Throughout the month-long tournament, ESPN+ will also offer a dynamic second-screen experience, daily studio programming and simulcasts of the semifinals and Final matches, among its first-ever European Championship offerings.

Coverage begins Wednesday, June 9, with a 30-minute tournament preview show (6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2). On Friday, June 11, the opening match of EURO 2020 features Turkey vs. Italy from Stadio Olimpico in Rome (2:30 p.m., ESPN and ESPN App).

ESPN is presenting its fourth straight UEFA European Football Championship in the United States since 2008. Spain (2008 and 2012) and Portugal (2016) were previously crowned champions of football in Europe on ABC or ESPN networks.

Highlights of ESPN’s UEFA EURO 2020 presentation:

Live matches per network/platform:

• ABC – five matches
• ESPN – 40 matches
• ESPN2 – six matches
• ESPN+ – all 51 matches livestreamed via a second-screen experience of three simultaneous video feeds with audio from ESPN match commentators, as well as simulcasts of the semifinals and Final match telecasts
• ESPN App – all ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN+ matches will stream live on the ESPN App.

Studio Programming

All match telecasts for the UEFA European Football Championship will include pregame, halftime and postgame studio segments across ABC, ESPN and ESPN2.

• EURO Today will air in-between matches throughout the tournament.
• EURO Tonight will air on match-days after the last match on ABC, ESPN and ESPN2
• Surround content: Leading up to and during the month-long competition, ESPN3 will showcase 12 EURO 2020 pre-tournament magazine shows.

SportsCenter

Throughout the tournament, all editions of ESPN’s flagship program SportsCenter will feature UEFA EURO 2020 content including up-to-date team news, match previews, highlights, analysis and opinion.

Commentators

ESPN’s UEFA EURO 2020 commentators represent one of the top teams ever assembled by the company for coverage of a global soccer tournament, including World Cup winners from multiple countries – Alessandro Del Piero (Italy, 2006), Julie Foudy (USA, 1991 and 1999), Sami Khedira (Germany, 2014), ESPN FC’s Frank Leboeuf (France, 1998). Other top voices include studio hosts Rece Davis and Kelly Cates, and match commentators Ian Darke and Jon Champion. Hosts/analysts/reporters. Match commentators.

Match commentator teams:

• Ian Darke (play-by-play) and Stewart Robson (analyst)
• Jon Champion and Taylor Twellman
• Derek Rae and Efan Ekoku
• Steve Cangialosi and Alejandro Moreno
• Mark Donaldson and Matteo Bonetti.

Studio:

• Hosts: Rece Davis, Kelley Cates, Sebastian Salazar, Kay Murray and Dalen Cuff
• Studio Analysts: Steve McManaman, Julie Foudy, Alessandro Del Piero, Sami Khedira, Chris Coleman, Kasey Keller, Tim Howard, Nedum Onuoha, Craig Burley, and officiating expert Matt Clattenburg
• Reporters: Sam Borden, Martin Ainstein, Archie Rhind-Tutt and Alexis Nunes

UEFA EURO 2020 on ESPN+

All 51 matches during EURO 2020 will stream live on ESPN+ via a second-screen experience of three different feeds – an aerial cam and two team cams– complemented with audio from ESPN’s match commentators. Additional ESPN+ highlights:

• Simulcasts of ESPN’s presentation of the UEFA EURO 2020 semifinals and final matches
• UEFA EURO-branded studio programming will include a daily highlight show, review shows leading into the Round of 16 and quarterfinals, a tournament review and UEFA EURO 2020 Final preview show, and a special recap program immediately following the Final
• A collection of classic UEFA European Football Championship matches will be available beginning Tuesday, June 8.

ESPN FC – Exclusively on ESPN+

A rotating panel of pundits – Shaka Hislop, Frank Leboeuf, Steve Nicol, Don Hutchison, Del Piero, Onuoha, Burley, Moreno and Keller – will join hosts Dan Thomas and Murray to review daily UEFA EURO 2020 matches and to discuss other global football news. Throughout the month, ESPN.com’s soccer journalists based in Europe (Gab Marcotti, Sid Lowe, Julien Laurens, Mark Ogden and Nunes) will report from some of the UEFA EURO 2020 host countries.

ESPN3

Leading up to and during the month-long competition, ESPN3 will showcase 12 pre-tournament magazine shows, studio review shows leading into the Round of 16 and quarterfinals, and a one-hour UEFA EURO 2020 Final preview show on Saturday, July 10.

Entre Copas on ESPN Deportes

Throughout the UEFA European Football Championship 2020, ESPN Deportes will air Entre Copas, a daily recap show at 11 p.m. ET (8 p.m. PT) beginning today (June 7) through August 1. Hosted by Carolina De Las Salas and Katia Castorena, Entre Copas will cover the goals, key plays, and offer the best debate by ESPN Deportes’ soccer experts, focusing on this summer’s three major international soccer tournaments – UEFA EURO 2020, Copa America 2021 and the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Soccer experts and reporters who will have recurring roles on Entre Copas include Jorge Ramos, Hernán Pereyra, Richard Méndez, Ricardo Ortiz, Andrés Agulla, Fernando Palomo, Martin Ainstein, Moises Llorens, Eduardo Abascal, Rodrigo Faez, José del Valle, Pilar Pérez, Stephanie Chaverri, Juanxo Villaverde, Jenny Fernández, Milton Melendez, Mauricio Rivas, Dionisio Estrada, Hérculez Gómez, Mauricio Pedroza and John Sutcliffe.

ESPN.com/Soccer

ESPN.com’s global soccer reporters Gab Marcotti, Mark Ogden, James Olley, Julien Laurens, Rob Dawson and Tom Hamilton will lead the platform’s coverage of UEFA EURO 2020 with match reports, team updates, news and analysis. Highlights:

• Tournament previews: “Red Zone at the Euros: Which players are in danger of burnout”; a look at how COVID-19 will impact the tournament; Cristiano Ronaldo’s race to the record for most international goals; top 10 Euro moments; and the Ultimate Preview fans’ guide to UEFA EURO 2020
• Global correspondent Sam Borden, ESPN television’s UEFA EURO 2020 reporter, will contribute stories from across Europe, reporting from key matches, beginning Friday with the Turkey vs. Italy opening match in Rome
• Marcotti and Laurens will host a podcast twice a week during the tournament.

ESPN Social Media

ESPN’s industry-leading social media team will be all over UEFA EURO 2020 coverage with top-notch highlights, insightful live shows, entertaining off-field moments, fan-generated content, custom edits, and more across Twitter, Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook. On Snapchat, ESPN will debut “EURO Now,” a show providing fans with a live-updating, one-stop-shop for everything you need to see throughout each match. As the tournament gets to semifinal and final stages, live digital preview shows will be available in the ESPN App, YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook. On TikTok, our ESPNFC account will launch a hashtag challenge to inspire futbol fans to share unique takes on their fandom. Social coverage will span a wide array of accounts across ESPN domestic and international social platforms such as ESPN, SportsCenter, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Mexico, ESPN Brazil and more.

ESPN Marketing

ESPN has collaborated with American DJ and record producer Steve Aoki and British producer and song writer Jungleboi to create ESPN’s anthem for UEFA EURO 2020, “Rubble to Gold ft. Sam Calver.” The track will be used across all marketing creative and featured throughout the production.

ESPN’s fan kit for UEFA EURO 2020 also includes:

• Collaboration with artist and designer Andrew Thiele to create 24 team-specific posters and a UEFA EURO tournament poster
• Virtual backgrounds for Microsoft Teams, supporting EURO 2020 and specific team backgrounds beginning in the quarterfinals
• Fantasy Pick ‘Em game kicking off with the start of the tournament
• UEFA EURO 2020 themed Spotify playlist with tracks to build hype for the tournament
• TikTok #EURO challenge from June 11-13, where fans will be asked to “tell me you’re a fútbol fan without telling me you’re a fútbol fan”
• Watch latest ESPN campaign spot for #UEFAEURO2020.

By Mac Nwulu
Source ESPN