Bebo to Include ESPN Content via Syndicated Video Player

Agreement to Deliver Short-Form Sports Programming from ESPN.com
through Bebo Open Media

ESPN and Bebo announce that ESPN.com will make its short-form online video content accessible directly through Bebo’s Open Media platform in the U.S. ESPN will offer highlights from games and major sporting events as well as video clips from ESPN original programming. The content will be delivered via an ESPN video player that will be embedded within a tailored Channel Profile. The ESPN Channel page launched on today and can be found at http://www.bebo.com/ESPNVideoSC.

“Bebo is a strong, innovative social network that only continues to grow in the U.S.,” said Matt Murphy, senior vice president, digital video distribution at ESPN. “Syndicating our content with them allows us to offer new benefits to fans and advertisers – giving fans more access to our content and giving our advertisers access to a broader audience. It’s a win-win for all parties.”

Added David Aufhauser, Director of Bebo’s Digital Media and Business Development, “The extension of our agreement with ESPN in the U.S. is fantastic for Bebo users, offering them access to the world’s most popular sports entertainment directly from the site. Every media company is looking for different ways to deliver their content online. Bebo Open Media presents a legitimate way for our users to explore and experience content on the Internet, presenting it within their personal profiles and virally distributing it throughout their ’friends network’ and the wider Bebo community.”

Content available through ESPN’s Channel Profile on Bebo includes SportsCenter Right Now, a twice-daily capsule of top sports stories, highlights and breaking news; clips from ESPN programs such as Mike and Mike in the Morning, Pardon the Interruption and Around the Horn; and breaking news and game clips from major professional and college teams and sporting events. The multi-sport video player will also offer links to ESPN.com content related to the video topics. Additionally, a recently announced deal with Major League Baseball’s Advanced Media will expand coverage of MLB on ESPN’s syndicated player.

Users can access ESPN content through the Channel Flipper accessible via the Bebo.com homepage or by going directly to http://www.bebo.com/ESPNVideoSC.

Bebo launched its Open Media platform in November 2007 to take advantage of the exploding popularity of rich media content online as well as the movement of advertising towards brand association with online content. The service’s flexible architecture enables media companies to join Open Media on their own, without protracted licensing negotiations. Uniquely, partners are able to distribute their content using their choice of media player which can carry their own advertising.