SlamBall, ESPN Announce Exclusive Two-Year Broadcast Partnership for the 2023 and 2024 Seasons
SlamBall Opening Night is showing on ESPN this summer. The new and exclusive two-year national broadcaster for the 2023 and 2023 seasons relaunches the hybrid basketball, football, hockey and trampolines sport live from Las Vegas. The first July 21 games broadcast from 7-9 p.m. EDT and are sure to get both new and old fans eagerly tuned in to watch organized chaos matches live from Cox Pavilion. An assortment of trampoline enhanced dunks, shots and blocks, all mixed in with rugged hits and checks into the boards, make each quick tempo play, fresh, unnerving and flat out fun to participate with as a player or fan. Look for games on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN+ as the trifecta of channels will showcase 30 hours of live programming across five weekends, culminating August 17-19 with the SlamBall Playoffs and SlamBall Championship Game. The Sports Techie community blog curator has a cousin living in Vegas that be interested in attending the gravity-defying sporting event that looks like it comes right out of a video game and Mad Max movie. Originally launched in 1999 by visionary founders Mason Gordon and Mike Tollin, this newest version has the decision making folks in Bristol ready to roll the content dice on its expected popularity. The enhanced league is set for relaunch in the summer of 2023 with tickets going on sale in Nevada this June 27.
“ESPN’s multi-year commitment to SlamBall is further validation of the enormous appeal and growth potential of our sport,” said SlamBall creator and CEO Mason Gordon. “The level of interest in our hybrid team sport not just in the U.S., but across the world, has been beyond our expectations for the 2023 season. It’s clear that this is the best talent we have had in the sport’s history.”
SLAMBALL Business
SlamBall is a one-of-a-kind sports and entertainment property with a rich history of success in the United States and in markets around the world.
Look for the initial ESPN broadcast team, detailed production information, and the entire broadcast schedule to be officially announced in the coming weeks. SlamBall the business brings with it a long-standing partnership with global premium experiences company Legends providing e-commerce and on-site event retail; global, data-driven partnership strategy and execution; and business intelligence with actionable insights to drive revenue across all areas of the league.
Horizon Sports and Experiences with David Levy are providing additional sponsorship sales support throughout the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
Amid the current resurgence of interest in alternate sports, the hashtag #BringBackSlamBall has garnered more than 200 million views on social media, offering a powerful foundation of fandom for the sport’s revival.
“Mason and I couldn’t help but respond to the #BringBackSlamBall clamor,” said SlamBall co-founder Mike Tollin. “Live sports dominate the airwaves these days and audiences are looking for the next big thing. It’s a thrill to collaborate with ESPN in bringing this ground-breaking sport back to the world.”
SlamBall recently closed an $11 million Series A round led by Roger Ehrenberg’s IA Sports Ventures and Eberg Capital (Owner and Advisory Board Member, Miami Marlins, Betr, Simplebet) with participation from strategic investors across sports, gaming, entertainment, and media. Strategic investors include David Blitzer (Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, Cleveland Guardians, Crystal Palace), David Adelman (76ers, NJ Devils), Michael Rubin (Fanatics), Gary Vaynerchuk (VaynerX, Major League Pickleball), Blake Griffin (Boston Celtics power forward and six-time NBA All-Star), and Tom Penn (Founder, LAFC), as well as Kevin Nagle (Sacramento Kings), Lloyd Danzig (Sharp Alpha), Legends, Brian Lovell (Red Games), Jesse Sharf (Gibson Dunn), Accelerate Sports, and Eric Manlunas (Wavemaker Partners). Accelerate Sports provided investment banking services for the round.
“We are excited to partner with SlamBall, a league that combines elements of some of our fans’ favorite sports, resulting in a unique game that is sure to entertain viewers across ESPN’s platforms.” said Ashley O’Connor, Sr. Director, Programming & Acquisitions at ESPN.
For more information visit https://slamballleague.com/
Sports Techie, fans watching the live action in Vegas will attest to the unprecedented and thrilling action of SlamBall, yet, live sports and media properties flush with cash is the era we live in that pays the operating bills and then some.
Whether the bidding is over the NFL, WWE or SlamBall, live sports events are the king and queen of viewership numbers and it takes an overbid to land most deals. Overbidding on SlamBall was probably a wise move. Potential sponsors take note.
There are no sure things with broadcasting, however, working with ESPN is like finding digital gold NFTs in the metaverse. The PHF and NYC Sevens are as happy to be on the ESPN broadcast train as SlamBall, and the latter might be the ticket to summer viewing success.
It appears helmets are not optional!
See you later sportstechie in Seattle, Atlanta and around the world!
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