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New Show in the Works for Late-Night — This One Is Focused on Sports

Jul 18, 2012  •  Post A Comment

Late-night television will have a new entry starting next month, and this one is all about sports, Entertainment Weekly reports. The show is “UNITE,” which launches Aug. 27 at midnight ET on ESPNU.

The show will be aimed at a younger demographic, specifically the college-age male sports fan. It will air Monday-Friday, blending sports talk, information and social media interaction.

Yaron Deskalo, “UNITE‘s” coordinating producer, said: “The way that we consume sports television is different than it was 15 years ago — than it was two years ago. Our audience already knows the headlines before they tune in, so they are no longer tuning in at midnight to wait 20 minutes to watch a 45-second highlight. What we need to do to be successful is to find the social conversation in these events, to find that little nugget that will keep people around.”

As for who will host the show, Deskalo said, “We aren’t necessarily looking for the next ‘SportsCenter’ anchor. We’re looking almost for the next media star, whether they’re graphic designers, musicians, or comedians. Maybe they’re already doing it in their dorm room and getting a million hits on YouTube, but to us, this is the next evolution for them to move into the television environment.”

The premiere date is meant to coincide with the return of college students to school and the launch of the college football season.

ESPNU reaches 73 million households.

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