ESPN has launched ESPN JV, a new YouTube channel for kids built around interactive sports challenges, athlete trivia, original programming and collaborations with Disney Jr. The channel, short for Junior Varsity, is live now at youtube.com/@ESPNJV. ESPN JV covers a wide mix of sports, from basketball and football to soccer, baseball and tennis, with colorful, family-friendly videos meant to get kids playing along. Young viewers can test their sports knowledge, relive big moments and learn about their favorite athletes, and ESPN says new videos will be added regularly.
The channel’s original animated series is The Sports Explorers, starring four characters known as the ESPN Squad: Ez, Shay, PJ and Nora. Each one brings a different personality to the world of sports, helping kids discover new games and learn what it means to be a fan. ESPN Creative Studio created the characters, and the series was developed with WSC Studios, the new production arm of WSC Sports.
“ESPN JV is about creating an exciting entry point into sports for the next generation of fans,” said Celia Bouza, ESPN’s vice president of multi-platform video. “By combining ESPN’s connection to the biggest moments and personalities in sports with creative, interactive storytelling, we’re building a destination where kids can explore their interests, discover new sports and develop a lifelong love of the game.”
ESPN has not said yet which Disney Jr. content will show up on the channel, but the two have a track record together. This summer, Disney Jr. and ESPN released Me & Mickey: Let’s Play Sports, a set of 10 shorts with Mickey, Minnie and Goofy showing preschoolers how to kick a soccer ball and play catch. ESPN has also become the home of Disney’s animated game broadcasts, from Mickey & Friends’ Dunk the Halls NBA game on Christmas Day to the Monsters, Inc. Funday Football game last December. And at D23, Disney+ and ESPN laid out where their streaming plans are headed next.
Our take is that this is a smart move for ESPN. Kids already spend their screen time on YouTube, so meeting them there with short, free sports videos makes more sense than asking them to sit through a full game broadcast. If ESPN can bring Mickey and the Disney Jr. crew into the mix, ESPN JV could become the easiest way for parents to share their love of sports with a preschooler.
Watch ESPN JV now at youtube.com/@ESPNJV, and join the Realm at fantasylandnews.com/the-realm.
