I know plenty of people who listen to sports radio programs and one common thing I noticed between them all is that as soon as someone starts talking about something they don't like, they tend to get all fired up. But what if you could customize your sports radio stations to however you like, so that you never really have to deal with the stuff you don't enjoy listening to?
That's exactly what ESPN and Slacker Radio have announced today. Slacker Radio Plus and Slacker Premium Radio subscribers now have unlimited access to the ESPN Radio integration, and the ability to create highly personalized, myESPN Radio sports stations based on favorite sports, teams or ESPN programs. If you're not yet a subscriber, you have free access to ESPN Radio but without all the extra bonus content.
In addition to the extra content being added, Slacker also updated their Android UI and optimized it to perform better across a range of devices. If you're looking for the full details, the press release is past the break for you all.
ESPN Audio and Slacker Launch Customizable Sports Stations on Slacker Radio
Slacker Radio First to Offer Personalized ESPN Radio Content
BRISTOL, CT / SAN DIEGO – September 20, 2011 – ESPN Audio and Slacker, Inc. today launched interactive ESPN Radio content available to Slacker Radio listeners. This agreement between the country's largest sports radio network and the Slacker personal radio service now creates the most comprehensive and most personal listening experience for sports and music enthusiasts alike. ESPN on Slacker Radio is now available on the web, on home entertainment devices and on leading smartphones with optimized ESPN station creation on Android devices and the web. An updated Slacker app with ESPN for iOS has been submitted and will be available pending Apple approval.
Listeners using the free Slacker Basic Radio service now have access to an interactive, programmed ESPN station. Slacker Radio Plus and Slacker Premium Radio subscribers now have unlimited access to the ESPN Radio integration, including an ad-free programmed station with unlimited skips and the ability to create highly personalized, myESPN Radio sports stations based on favorite sports, teams or ESPN programs. Subscribers also have the option to add hourly SportsCenter updates to any Slacker station.
Slacker is the first radio service to feature ESPN Radio in a personalized context, with up-to-the-minute coverage of all major sporting events and top news stories on both a local and national level. The interactive ESPN Radio station also offers access to content from multiple ESPN programs and platforms, including Mike and Mike in the Morning, SportsCenter, The Herd with Colin Cowherd and more.
"Offering new and different ways for sports fans to access ESPN Radio content continues to be rewarding and exciting,” said Traug Keller, Senior Vice President, Production Business Divisions, ESPN, Inc. "This new relationship puts the fan more in control by providing customizable ESPN content.”
The complete Slacker Radio experience includes expert-programmed music stations, ABC news, comedy, custom artist-hosted showcase stations and leading music festival stations along with the ability for listeners to create their own personalized radio stations. Slacker Premium Radio also includes on-demand access to the entire Slacker music library featuring over 8 million songs. The addition of ESPN to its increasing line-up of stations and services reinforces that Slacker Radio has the most varied and compelling range of customizable content offered by any radio service, while maintaining the most personal listening experience.
“Slacker Radio strives to offer a complete range of content and capabilities for all listeners,” said Jonathan Sasse, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Slacker. "The addition of customized ESPN sports coverage to our already broad content offering, including an on-demand music service, makes Slacker Radio the clear choice for personal radio fans."
Slacker Personal Radio is available online at www.slacker.com, on all leading smartphones and Slacker-enabled home entertainment devices. Slacker listeners are able to create their own Personal Radio stations based on any artist or mix of artists, or listen to and personalize over 150 expert-programmed genre stations ranging from Today's Hits to Instrumental Jazz. Slacker offers music festival coverage including unique stations based on performances and artist interviews from events such as Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits and features artist showcase stations with exclusive content from chart-topping bands including Far East Movement, Plain White T's and more. The addition of Slacker Premium Radio and on-demand access to a music catalog that is over ten times larger than the leading radio competitor provides listeners the ultimate music discovery source.
Pricing and Availability
The ESPN Radio station is available starting today for free while Slacker Radio Plus and Slacker Premium Radio subscribers have access to the full ESPN experience, including two highly customizable myESPN Radio sports stations. Slacker Radio Plus is available for $3.99 per month and Slacker Premium Radio for $9.99 per month at www.Slacker.com or billed directly to your Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile USA or AT&T account from within the Slacker application on Android and BlackBerry smartphones.
About ESPN Audio
ESPN Audio is the country's largest sports radio network, providing more than 9,000 hours of talk and event content annually to 24 million listeners a week on more than 700 stations, including owned stations in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Dallas, and more than 350 full-time affiliates. ESPN Audio’s event programming features the NBA (and The Finals), MLB (and the World Series), college football (including the BCS and regular-season schedule) the USGA’s U.S. Open, and the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Weekday studio programming includes: Mike and Mike in the Morning (Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic) 6-10 a.m.; The Herd with Colin Cowherd 10 a.m.-1 p.m.; The Scott Van Pelt Show 1-4 p.m.; and The Doug Gottlieb Show 4-7 p.m. ESPN Radio also offers the only all-sports Spanish radio network, ESPN Deportes, which has 42 affiliates with stations in eight of the top 10 Hispanic markets, including owned KZMP-AM 1540 in Dallas. ESPN Deportes Radio programming features top soccer events and leagues such as Copa America, Spain’s La Liga, MLS and also Sunday Night Baseball.
For additional information, visit www.espnradio.com.
About Slacker, Inc.
Slacker offers the world's most complete range of radio services. Whether it's the award-winning free Slacker Basic Radio, or the fully-loaded subscription services Slacker Radio Plus and Slacker Premium Radio, listeners enjoy a unique, custom listening experience. Slacker enables music lovers to play highly personalized music online at the Slacker web site, on connected home devices or on-the-go with Slacker Personal Radio applications. Slacker mobile applications are available for Windows Phone 7, Windows Mobile, Palm webOS, Nokia, Android, iPhone, and BlackBerry smartphones. For more information visit: http://www.Slacker.com/about.
For regular Slacker updates follow us at www.Twitter.com/SlackerRadio, become a Fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SlackerRadio, watch Slacker video content at www.YouTube.com/Slacker or visit www.Slacker.com.
