ESPN Taps Vision for ABC's First ElClásico Telecast — SkimNews
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- ESPN and Marvel Studios devised a collaboration for Sunday's ElClásico telecast, its first on ABC, featuring a 30-second promo voiced by Paul Bettany, the actor who has long played Vision in Marvel films.
- Disney+ carries a new Vision streaming series that also needs promotion, giving the soccer tie-in a second purpose alongside ESPN's stated bid to get more people interested in the match.
- ESPN FC distributed a soccer-focused Q&A with Bettany across its social platforms and dropped a 'motion poster' on ESPN FC's Instagram and TikTok Stories, as well as ESPN Deportes' Instagram Story.
- SportsCenter and other ESPN studio programs, plus 'Live with Kelly and Mark,' promoted the match during the week, and ESPN also enlisted creators Devin Caherly and Dylan Acanfora to create content from Barcelona.
- ESPN scheduled the custom promo to air during pre-game coverage in both its English-language and Spanish-language telecasts, while ESPN FC's X and Facebook accounts will share the vignette ahead of the match.
- ABC's broadcast television debut of the rivalry starts 4 p.m. eastern on Sunday, October 2, with Lamine Yamal, Pedri, Kylian Mbappé, Jude Bellingham and Vinícius Júnior expected to play and the telecast also available on ESPN+, ESPN Deportes and the ESPN App.
Why it matters: For ESPN, the Sunday, October 2, 4 p.m. ET ABC debut gets a promotional hook in the form of the 30-second Bettany vignette, which extends into Spanish-language coverage and Disney's other shows. For Disney, the same promo doubles as support for Vision's new Disney+ series, using one soccer audience to promote both the broadcast and the streaming title.
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