ESPN and Vice Media are partnering to create new shows together while also swapping content on each other's TV channels and digital platforms, further cementing the connection between the sports network's parent company, Walt Disney Co., and the youth-focused media company.
The two content creators will team up for new short-form series, while films from ESPN's documentary series "30 for 30" will re-air on Vice's new TV network, Viceland. Edited versions of the Viceland show "Vice World of Sports" will start crossing over onto ESPN's digital outlets.
The younger demographics that Vice typically targets have left traditional cable TV for cord-cutting in recent years, spurring creative crossover collaborations such as this. ESPN has seen a decline in subscriptions as consumers opt for "skinnier" cable packages, leading Disney to a significant selloff in media stocks last summer.
Disney has invested more heavily in Vice over the past two years to the point that it is now its largest stockholder. Last fall, Disney poured $400 million (roughly 9 percent stake) in Vice. Disney already held a 15 percent stake in the company through its joint venture with Hearst in A+E Networks.
Viceland was launched earlier this year on A+E's former H2 channel.
Vice began as a punk 'zine in 1994 and has quickly grown into one of the largest digital content companies. It is currently expanding into traditional cable television and rounded up roughly $4.5 billion in funding last year.
The partnership between Vice and ESPN will showcase some of Vice's usual edgy programming. Currently in development are programs that focus on "dominant athletes, fascinating characters and championship events that reside outside the mainstream," the companies said in a joint release. In addition, they are also developing a short-form animated series. "Vice World of Sports" debuted on April 27 and it, along with "The Clubhouse," will appear on ESPN platforms.
"Growing up watching ESPN I came to love the brand and their content. Maybe a little too much. The amount of manly tears shed over various 30 for 30's throughout the years has been nothing short of embarrassing," Shane Smith, Vice Media's chief executive, said in a statement.
