EDITOR’S NOTE: Video produced by Jon McLeod and Spencer Jackson.
The office space occupied by the programming & acquisitions team on ESPN’s Bristol, Conn., campus contains a curious object affixed to a column: a brass bell. Considering most of the workspace is adorned with helmets, posters, trophies, balls and other sports memorabilia, the bell seems a little out of place, but it has great significance.
In 2016, the programming team installed the “Victory Bell” and established a tradition of ringing the bell to celebrate key moments.
“Our people are special. They care deeply about the sports we cover, the partners we work with, the fans we serve and each other. We grind together and we celebrate together,” said EVP, programming & acquisitions Rosalyn Durant. “One way we do that is through a long-standing tradition of simply gathering to ring a celebratory bell. From new deals to ratings successes to personal accomplishments, it’s an important part of our culture and one way that we infuse joy and levity into the serious business of serving sports fans.”
The video above is from last week when Durant and SVP, league programming & acquisitions Julie Sobieski gathered the department to celebrate the team’s latest milestone — a landmark 11-year NBA and WNBA rights extension that will continue ESPN’s multiplatform, year-round men’s and women’s pro basketball coverage through 2036.
Lately, there’s been no shortage of bell-ringing. Other prominent deals they’ve secured in recent months include an exclusive eight-year extension with the NCAA, an agreement for the new NFL Flag Championships, and an exclusive extension with the expanded College Football Playoff through 2031-32, all of which contributed to a wildly successful first half of 2024 for ESPN.
-
-
-
-
