February 3, 2000 GO.com has launched the EXPN brand revolving around a new EXPN.com Web site dedicated to action sports enthusiasts, lifestyles and events that will feature content, community and commerce. EXPN.com, complemented by interactive EXPN-branded programming on ESPN and ESPN2 "co-produced" by EXPN.com users, launched today in beta (test) format in conjunction with ESPN's fourth annual Winter X Games held February 3-6 in Mount Snow, Vermont. "We expect EXPN to be the definitive name in action sports, and EXPN.com to be the premier online community for action sports athletes and enthusiasts, the number one place to interact, react, and transact," said George McQuistion, vice president and general manager, EXPN.com. "Our efforts are tailored toward a demographic group that is both individualistic and community-oriented. EXPN will allow these users to imbue the site with their own voice, molding and shaping it as they see fit. It will also benefit from ESPN's promotional power and its proven track record with the X Games franchise." EXPN has reached content and promotional agreements with a number of athletes, including high-profile action sports personalities Matt "The Condor" Hoffman and Mike Vallely, to be part of its "Freelance Athlete Network" ("FAN"). EXPN also enjoys the resources of TransWorld, publisher of numerous action sports magazines, the Aggressive Skaters Association (ASA), and top women's action sports magazine, Wahine, among others. Among the sports featured prominently will be snowboarding, skateboarding, surfing, BMX, aggressive in-line skating and skiing. Convergent EXPN Internet and television programming will cater primarily to the 60 million consumers nationwide aged 12-24, the fastest-growing age group in the U.S. There are 56.6 million action sports participants in the U.S., including approximately 35 million between the ages of 12-34. EXPN.com's three sports channels - Street, Water and Snow -- are produced by the Freelance Athlete Network: action sports enthusiasts themselves, keeping true to the self-expressive, pro-active attitude prevalent among the target audience. EXPN.com will combine content such as event news and results, athlete bios, interviews and product reviews, while simultaneously creating an online community via bulletin boards and chat rooms. "Normal," EXPN.com's online lifestyle magazine, contains fashion, music, art, video game, gear and food reviews, travel information, sport culture antique information, medical information, and an ongoing comic strip, "Monster Planet." The service will also house an e-commerce section in the near future offering action sports gear such as skateboards and surfboards, apparel, and other lifestyle merchandise. EXPN programming on ESPN2 Co-produced by EXPN.com users, EXPN 2Day launches Thursday, February 17 (10:30 p.m. ET) on ESPN2 with a recap of the Winter X Games. Going forward, the monthly EXPN 2Day will be a news, information and lifestyle program hosted by popular bike stunt athlete Rick Thorne, with segments taped at a sports or lifestyle event each month. Visitors to EXPN.com can vote on what athlete feature they want to see each month, what tricks they'd like to see executed and explained by top pros, and can even submit future story ideas. In addition, fans will be encouraged to upload to EXPN.com digital video or still photos of themselves doing alternative sports to be used in EXPN 2Day music videos. This concept was introduced at the 1999 X Games in San Francisco on ESPN.com. X.B.S., a monthly show premiering on ESPN2 Friday, February 25 (3:30 p.m. ET), will consist of interviews with two high-profile action sports athletes each show within a one-on-one interview setting. It will be hosted by X Games commentator Paul Higgins. EXPN.com users will be directed to submit questions to be answered on the show, as well within a complementary live audio Webcast on EXPN.com. EXPN 2Day and X.B.S. will also air on ESPN. EXPN's content and promotional alliances |
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