ESPN PPV to Deal Directly with Affils

ESPN said Wednesday that its ESPN Pay-Per-View unit “will establish a direct relationship with its affiliates.”

ESPN PPV includes college-football out-of-market package “ESPN GamePlan,” college-basketball out-of-market package “ESPN Full Court” and events such as “ESPN College Grand Slam,” K-1 martial-arts programs, boxing, fantasy-league specials and ESPN Original Entertainment movies.

“ESPN is committed to helping our affiliates generate incremental revenue through ESPN PPV sales with season packages, championships and special events," executive vice president of affiliate sales and marketing Sean Bratches said in a prepared statement.

“By managing ESPN PPV in-house, we can increase operating efficiency and materially expand our PPV offering as the product continues to evolve,” he added.