Deadspin
You know, sometimes news in this world breaks, and it's the most shocking event you can imagine. You have to read the story two or three times to make sense of it; can that really be happening? Your fundamental reality changes, and you interpret all that comes afterwards with this new, different slant.
And sometimes the sun simply comes up.
Mobile ESPN, a start-up cellphone company backed by Walt Disney Co., will announce as soon as Thursday that it is closing down operations, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.
The newspaper said Mobile ESPN is hoping to reinvent itself as a content partner of bigger wireless carriers, citing people familiar with the matter. ESPN could not immediately be contacted.
The story was originally reported by Paid Content and confirmed by WSJ this morning.
It's funny, too: We were JUST about to buy one. We know it's a little late, but, you know, seeing Dan Le Betard being interviewed yesterday while an ESPN Mobile phone flashed on the screen finally convinced us; we think maybe we just hadn't been exposed enough to it yet.
By the way, we have no idea what happens if you're one of the 30,000 people — whom ESPN spent $150 million to grab — who bought one of these phones. Paperweight?
Major Change Coming At Mobile ESPN [Paid Content]
Mobile ESPN To Close Down Operations [Reuters]
(UPDATE: ESPN big dog honcho man George Bodenheimer has announced the end of ESPN Mobile to his employees in an internal memo. That internal memo is after the jump.)
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______________________________________________
From: Bodenheimer, George
Sent: Thursday, September 28, 2006 10:15 AM
Subject: Mobile ESPN
Growth and innovation often involve taking risks and ESPN has not shied away from aggressively seeking to improve our business at any point in our history. Mobile ESPN was one such undertaking with many challenges and in the best tradition of ESPN the Mobile team built the finest wireless service for sports fans.
However as the business developed, we confronted a very competitive sales environment for our MVNO while at the same time attracting significant interest from others to license distribution of Mobile ESPN. Taking all of this into account and after careful consideration, we have decided to change direction and turn Mobile ESPN into a licensed wireless application to be offered by one or more major national carriers. This shift will allow us to get Mobile ESPN's critically acclaimed content to many more fans much more quickly.
Consequently, Mobile ESPN will no longer operate as a service provider after December 31, 2006. Until then, we will continue to offer voice and data service to all Mobile ESPN customers, including many of you. We will maintain in-depth communication to employees and customers within the next 30-60 days to ensure the transition to a new carrier is as easy as possible. All purchasers of a Mobile ESPN handset will receive a refund of the full purchase price.
For help addressing any questions you may have, please check ESPNField NEWS beginning Monday, October 2.
While we believe this decision is the right one for our business, we fully recognize that it impacts the lives of many of our Mobile colleagues and their families. We will work with each of them to help manage this transition and look for other opportunities within ESPN as may be appropriate. I would like to thank all of them for a remarkable job in conceiving and launching this product. We are very proud of all you have accomplished.
Comments
I'm speechless. The WWL actually did something right.
boy.
that didnt take long
I knew it was doomed when ESPN Radio stopped referring to guests as being on the "EPSN Mobile Hotline" and started calling it the "Onstar Hotline".
But TO's publicist had just ordered 400 of them!
I wouldn't say they did it right . . .
Are the subscribers going to have a chance to get out of the plan before they get transferred to Sprint?
You're kidding? ESPN Mobile didn't work out? Maybe we can have a press conference at 3:15 to clear things up?
I have to read this a few more times before I believe it...
ESPN shouldn't kill ESPN Mobile...it has 150 million reasons to be alive.
Pitty those catch ads will go with it.
This is all a misunderstanding. ESPN Mobile was only confused and disoriented.
*God must be way to early to type.
How about "pity all those catch ads will go with it."
Ugh.
That WAS fast...not often you see a major launch fizzle so fast in the dot.bomb wake.
I would take it to Berman and see if you could get him to autograph it with the word "leather" involved in the inscription.
a start-up cellphone company backed by Walt Disney Co.
Interesting description...
I heard they had to pry the last two out of Jason Whitlock's mouth.
I can give you another reason they killed it.
I saw an ad for Disney Mobile. In essence, it lets you and your kids have cellphones. You can determine how much cell time your kid can have through an allowance system, find out where they are (or at least where their phone is), and find out the quality of the pot your kid is smoking behind your back, all at the touch of a button.
Disney can only afford to fund one disasterous cell phone adventure at a time, apparently.
But how will I get sports scores now?
Finally, I can stop worrying about the ESPN Mobile curse. Shaun Alexander in the commercial falls and hurts himself = Alexander breaks his foot, destroys fantasy season. Coincidence? I think not.
The big carriers froze them out because disney got greedy. Instead of making deals with t-mobile, etc they figured their one dimensional phone would be a big hit. well mikey - you need more than one dimesonsion to sell product these days. It's all branding and placement. and why buy one of those phones when people already carry around phones with plans that they can't break?
My ESPN Mobile phone will now go into the corner of my garage next to the cases of Crystal Clear Pepsi.
Next to die; The "don't be a faggot, don't raise a faggot, watch College Gameday" series of commercials.
New Coke called to say "Way to go!"
"Sorry I wasted $150,000,000."
-ESPN Mobile
Now if the rest of ESPN will follow suit, I'll be happy.
Well, at least "Mike and Mike in the Morning."
"Do I still have to take Reggie Bush #1 overall"
-Reggie Bush's friend
They killed off ESPN Mobile before they took Quite Frankly off the air?
New Coke was a stroke of genius.
If I offered you an ugly, expensive, roaming all the time cellphone that wasn't as nice as phones you can buy at freaking Wal-Mart, would you be interested in that?
As the annoying guy standing outside the Bristol headquarters, this means I will never realize my dream of figuring out what Stuart Scott is REALLY looking at.
I will also likely never feel the soft tickle of Trey Wingo's chest hair against my own.
*SIGH*
mmmm Crystal Pepsi...
I made a killing on Crystal Pepsi back in the day. My dad got a hold of a case in Dallas, where they were being test marketed, and I sold them at summer camp for $5 a pop! Gold, Jerry! Gold!
Next step...shifting the blame to Mark Shapiro
...shouldn't be too hard
i want some crystal gravy right about now...then i'll wash it down with my cookie dough gatorade
I guess the world just wasn't ready for the greatest invention in the history of the world. ever.
keith, get your oops i crapped my pants strapped on tight
There are 25 million reasons why ESPN mobile should die, but I'm too lazy to write them all out.
mmmmmmmm short lived Pepsi 'Cona
Damn, missed it, Bort.
What about the 15 year contract I just signed to get the free phone?
Next up: ESPN "Jump to Conclusions" Mat.
I'll just use the ESPN credit card to buy another cell phone.
Jesus, I miss Iced Tea Gatorade, that was the stuff!
I can't be the only one who enjoyed Crystal Pepsi, can I?
I hear ESPN Mobile ripped Scoop Jackson on the way out.
I also enjoyed Crystal Pepsi
The level of arrogance necessary to think this would work, is off-the-charts.
MDT - Thats true, but it was only to a blog, so obviously no one heard it.
kim etheridge had this to say:
'espn mobile is not closing down operations... it had an allergic reaction to the reality'
They went about it the wrong way. Had they simply stopped having sports tickers at the bottom of the TV screen and taken ESPN News off the air, we all would have HAD to subscribe.
Probably needed to destroy the internet too, and print media. THEN, we would have HAD to subscribe...
I heard that ESPN Mobile "inappropriately vibrated" on an assistant at an Outback Steakhouse.
I liked Crystal Pepsi, too. But I wonder if TO's publicist worked on the launch of ESPN Mobile. God, what a clusterflop!
The Oops I Crapped My Pants go on underneath the Bad Idea Jeans, right?
Sorry, I blew all my money on insurance against robots. Because when they grab you with those metal claws, you can't break free.. because they're made of metal, and robots are strong. They may strike at any time. And I just can't afford to buy new medicine when the robots eat mine for fuel.