Can you imagine college football without broadcasting networks? Would the sport enjoy the fanfare it has today if big media giants were out of the picture? Certainly not. Throughout the decades, these networks have given us everything that goes down in the field, and more, straight to our homes. Among them is ESPN, the one-stop channel for all you can wonder about sports. However, with other equally colossal and much flashier networks in the arena, the humble sporting giant was headed on a downward trajectory. However, with its brand new strategy, there may be some hope for ESPN to get back to where it was. And college football plays an important role here.

ESPN has to bite the bullet first. It has to safely move on from the cable business and make use of the digital space. Its latest direct-to-customer streaming service–also called ESPN+ will allow users to access a plethora of the network’s content on one app. Set to release this fall ahead of the 2025 college football and NFL season, sports investor Joe Pompliano thinks it is a great way for ESPN to revive itself from its slump. Over the past 15 years, the network has lost 30 million users and is still on the downward slope after the launch of ESPN+.

Pompliano explained the situation in a May 16 video of his show. “The new streaming service will be an entirely different offering. Rather than serving as a home to secondary content that doesn’t fit in the cable schedule, ESPN’s new streaming service will offer the full suite of ESPN’s content without a cable subscription.” Their basic plan, which is slightly on the high end tag of $30, will include access to all ESPN content and games from the SEC and ACC networks. Considering the mammoth following of college football, people will tune in to the service in huge numbers to consume its content.

ESPN has given college football some of its most legendary names. Lee Corso, who is just shy of 90, is one of its most iconic presenters. Others join him, too, like Kirk Herbstreit, Chris Fowler, and Greg McElroy. In recent times as well, the network made a few controversial moves, featuring Adam Rittenberg and Arch Manning. But with this new streaming service, ESPN can potentially look at generating a larger footfall in the digital space. “There’s power in our name and there’s trust in our name,” claimed network chairman Jimmy Pitaro. With shows like The Pat McAfee Show, ESPN can utilize as a key aspect.

How Pat McAfee serves as a goldmine for ESPN

Pat McAfee built a formidable name for himself in the football media space. From the get-go, the analyst has focused on the digital space and used it to its best when the practice was at its peak. ESPN began talks with McAfee sometime around or in 2019, when he began appearing for college football coverage and on its Get Up! Program. His show formally became a part of ESPN in 2023. Pat McAfee has become a key ingredient of ESPN’s digital strategy. In the new ESPN streaming service, his content also plays an important role.

“ESPN has quietly been building out a YouTube-style content model that is equally as strong. The network’s industry-changing $85 million deal with Pat McAfee was the first step in this process,” Joe Pompliano highlighted. The analyst’s show works wonders for the network. In April 2024, the combined viewership for the program (on cable and YouTube) was tallied at 380,000 per show. ESPN cleverly planned the show’s programming, too. Only the first two hours of the show are available on the linear network. The entire show runs on YouTube and ESPN+.

College football, which is currently being monopolized by FOX, still stands a chance of reviving ESPN. The Pat McAfee Show is a great example of how ESPN can pivot the digital space to its benefit. College football has become an even bigger stage than before. Capitalizing on it the right way is crucial for surviving in the media. The new ESPN service was something the network should’ve introduced years ago. Because with the digital media strategy and its heaps of content, ESPN can stand on par with its competitor networks with this new strategy.