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ESPN is releasing its standalone streaming service this week. <\/p>\n
(Allen Kee \/ ESPN Images)<\/p>\n
Consumers can subscribe to the new ESPN streaming app for $29.99 a month. Households already paying to receive ESPN channels through cable or satellite can sign up at no additional cost, enabling up to five people to stream the service on mobile devices and internet-connected TV sets.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe designed our campaign exactly as we designed our product, which is to serve sports fans anytime, anywhere,\u201d Jo Fox, executive vice president of marketing for ESPN, said in a recent interview. \u201cSo we want to make sure we are showing up in as many places as possible.\u201d <\/p>\n
The advertising campaign that starts Thursday will feature Lyft-operated Cadillac SUVs wrapped in the company logo and the promotional campaign\u2019s tagline \u201cAll of ESPN. All in One Place.\u201d<\/p>\n
The vehicles will be concentrated in high-traffic areas near sporting events in Los Angeles and New York, where the U.S. Open tennis tournament will soon begin. The ESPN brand name and logo will also appear on the Lyft app and maps. <\/p>\n
Mass transit users won\u2019t be left out, as ESPN will take over the E Line of the New York City subway that travels from the World Trade Center to Queens. The exterior of the train cars will be covered with logos while more specific ad messages will appear on the inside. <\/p>\n
The public address announcements at the Spring Street subway station \u2014 located near Disney\u2019s downtown Manhattan headquarters \u2014 will be delivered by ESPN\u2019s voluble $20-million-a-year man Stephen A. Smith,<\/a> the co-host of \u201cFirst Take.\u201d <\/p>\n Signage will also take over electronic screens in New York\u2019s Moynihan Train Hall and Port Authority Bus Terminal and billboards along L.A.\u2019s Sunset Boulevard and adjacent to SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. <\/p>\n ESPN\u2019s campaign will go beyond the major media centers on the coasts. The streaming service will be featured on TV screens in the home entertainment sections in 4,000 Walmart stores across the country.<\/p>\n ESPN also has a deal with Samsung, which will offer free yearlong subscriptions to the streaming service to customers who purchase a QLED 4K TV at Best Buy or Samsung.com. Best Buy stores will feature the ESPN app in stores as well during the promotion.<\/p>\n ESPN has already been touting its streaming service on air and in paid TV media buys with commercials featuring actor and WWE star John Cena. Cena will soon be an ESPN fixture as the streaming service becomes the new home <\/a>of major WWE events such as WrestleMania and Royal Rumble, starting in 2026.<\/p>\n The ESPN app will include a number of features that will complement the live sports offerings. Fans will be able to create their own personalized \u201cSportsCenter,\u201d <\/a>which will use artificial intelligence to provide a short personalized highlight program geared to the user\u2019s favorite teams and events. <\/p>\n