
ESPN’s SportsCenter has long seemed like a bastion of guy TV. Not tonight. When ESPN viewers tune in to the 11 p.m. edition of the long-running sports-news program, they may see something a little different. The entire hour-long program will be anchored by women. ESPN die-hards will “see what’s important” in the world of sprots, says Carrie Brzezinski-Hsu who oversees ESPN CreativeWorks, which helped design the format.

ESPN is bringing back its familiar “This Is SportsCenter” campaign with a new spot airing Friday during the Capital One Orange Bowl. The new spot, dubbed “Orange Slices,” features Megan Rapinoe, Becky Saurerbrunn and Sophia Smith of the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team, SportsCenter anchor Nicole Briscoe and Syracuse University mascot Otto the Orange. ESPN said this is the first “This is SportsCenter” promo since 2019 and more commercials in the campaign will air in 2023.

By last year, the cable sports network’s signature show was suffering from slumping ratings as the company fought against the business climate of cord-cutting and the divisive politics of the Trump era. Enter Norby Williamson, who was named ESPN’s executive vice president of studio production in September 2017, placing him in charge of SportsCenter. His strategy: Return the show to its roots as a hub of news and highlights.
NEW YORK (AP) — To a certain segment of the population, Scott Van Pelt is a more popular late-night television star than Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert. That […]