ESPN Announces Plans For World Cup 2010 TV Coverage

On the heels of successful coverage of the Confederations Cup, ESPN has announced more details regarding its coverage of the 2010 World Cup.

The 2010 World Cup kicks off in South Africa on June 11 and ends on July 11.

Here’s what we can expect:

• ESPN will present all of its 2010 World Cup coverage from on-site in South Africa, totaling more than 65 hours of original content.
• The studio hosts will be Bob Ley, Chris Fowler and Mike Tirico,
• SportsCenter will feature World Cup segments,
• There’ll be a nightly World Cup Live show (30 minutes) shown on ESPN or ESPN2
• ESPN will have pre-match, halftime and post-match shows, shown on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2.

This is quite an impressive commitment from ESPN to present all of its coverage from South Africa rather than relying on coverage from a studio in Bristol, Connecticut. And this is the first time ESPN has, in its 30 year history, had all of its World Cup coverage coming from the on-site location of the tournament.

While Bob Ley is a familiar face for soccer fans who have followed the United States (and World Cups) on US TV since the 1980s, I wonder how the decisions of adding Chris Fowler (best known for his Grand Slam tennis and college football coverage) and Mike Tirico (best known for his coverage of Superbowls, NBA and major golf tournaments) will go over with most Americans.

I’m interested in getting your feedback on those appointments and the scope of ESPN’s coverage. Click the comments link below and share your opinion.