ESPN's X Games Will Play in Los Angeles
NEW YORK (Variety) -- Los Angeles has won the right to host ESPN's X Games in 2003 and 2004. "The X Games have come a long way," said Ron Semaio, senior VP of ESPN. "We started in 1994 in an 18th century fort in Newport, R.I., and now we're setting up at the Staples Center in the second largest market in the US." Semaio calls the Staples Center the "primary venue" for the games, which include bike stunts, skateboard competitions and inline-skating contests. ESPN will tape the events over the five days beginning Aug. 14 and edit them for carriage on the network within a day or so. "The target demographic we're going after is 12- to 17-year-olds, and all of our focus groups indicate that they don't care about live live, the way the older generation does," said Semaio. "Las Vegas doesn't take odds on the winners of the X Games." The events will be available live on Web site EXPN.com, which will funnel the live pictures to computers through streaming video. Miami also bid on the X Games, but Semaio said ESPN chose Los Angeles not only because of the size of the market but because ESPN's sister company ABC owns KABC, which will help to cross-promote the games. The Los Angeles City Council estimates that the five days of X Games could funnel $50 million in each of the two years to the city's economy. The X Games are following ESPN's annual Espy Awards to Los Angeles. The city signed a contract for the awards covering 2002 and 2003.
NEW YORK (Variety) -- Los Angeles has won the right to host ESPN's X Games in 2003 and 2004. "The X Games have come a long way," said Ron Semaio, senior VP of ESPN. "We started in 1994 in an 18th century fort in Newport, R.I., and now we're setting up at the Staples Center in the second largest market in the US." Semaio calls the Staples Center the "primary venue" for the games, which include bike stunts, skateboard competitions and inline-skating contests. ESPN will tape the events over the five days beginning Aug. 14 and edit them for carriage on the network within a day or so. "The target demographic we're going after is 12- to 17-year-olds, and all of our focus groups indicate that they don't care about live live, the way the older generation does," said Semaio. "Las Vegas doesn't take odds on the winners of the X Games." The events will be available live on Web site EXPN.com, which will funnel the live pictures to computers through streaming video. Miami also bid on the X Games, but Semaio said ESPN chose Los Angeles not only because of the size of the market but because ESPN's sister company ABC owns KABC, which will help to cross-promote the games. The Los Angeles City Council estimates that the five days of X Games could funnel $50 million in each of the two years to the city's economy. The X Games are following ESPN's annual Espy Awards to Los Angeles. The city signed a contract for the awards covering 2002 and 2003.