SportsCenter’s new groove

SportsCenter is getting an upgrade, as ESPN announced a slate of “enhancements” for its flagship series, along with new deals will a slate of anchors. The new SportsCenter Right Now initiative will “bring news updates to both digital and television platforms during daytime hours as well as during halftime of televised prime-time sporting events.” Starting in August, the series will launch up-to-the-minute news updates that will be seen on both digital and television platforms running multiple times per hour on ESPN.com and in the new home-screen video player on the ESPN App. Content will be produced specifically for the digital platforms, with topics determined by the use of real-time analytics to ensure that the updates are centered on the questions and conversations in which sports fans are most passionately engaged in addition to airing twice hourly within ESPN daytime programming between 7a-3p.

Meanwhile, SportsCenter anchors Steve Levy, Kenny Mayne, John Anderson and John Buccigross signed new deals to continue with ESPN as hosts of the 11p SportsCenter, while Sage Steele signed a new, multiyear deal and beginning in late August will anchor SportsCenter:AM from 7-10a Monday-Thursday.

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