ESPN and ESPN Edge partner Meta recently launched ESPN Tailgate in Meta Horizon. Whether you’re a fan, a competitor, or a sports fanatic, every day is game day in this fun and interactive virtual hangout destination.
Step into ESPN Tailgate to become a sports broadcaster in the ESPN First Take studio, play competitive sports-themed minigames like cornhole and disc golf, and connect with a global community of sports enthusiasts.
- Minigames: ESPN Tailgate is here, and it’s bringing all the joys of tailgating, plus immersive 180 on-demand ESPN sports highlight content like fan favorite ESPN8 The Ocho.
- Sports Broadcaster: Become a sports broadcaster in the ESPN First Take studio and go “on air” with the selfie camera that can be shared across social media.
- ESPN Content: Watch immersive 180 on-demand ESPN sports highlights and travel to other sports-themed worlds via portals.
Front Row asked ESPN Associate Manager of Sports Business Development & Innovation Jeff Ghiringelli about ESPN Tailgate in the Meta Horizon.
What is the goal for ESPN with ESPN Tailgate?
Our goal for ESPN Tailgate on Meta Horizon is to continue pushing innovation forward at ESPN, via creating an engaging environment for sports fans to both play games and consume immersive ESPN content. It was an exciting development process with Meta, and it was very cool to see ESPN Tailgate evolve and take the shape it’s in today. We’re all really proud of the end product.
How does an initiative like this open the doors for ESPN to do more in this space?
ESPN Tailgate provides a living, breathing space for ESPN and Meta to consistently update and evolve, and can also provide a testing ground for future opportunities with new technology. We’d also love to explore collaboration opportunities with our great league and conference partners to help make ESPN Tailgate a destination for all sports fans.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
We’re really excited to continue partnering with Meta in the immersive category via ESPN Edge, and the sky’s the limit for what we can achieve. Between this launch and our numerous ESPN VR highlights on Meta’s Xtadium sports app, we’re making our mark in this category with plenty more to come.
