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ESPN Teases New Streaming Service With John Cena and App-E

The ad leverages Cena’s coach persona to guide users through personalization tools ahead of its August 21 launch.

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Overview

  • ESPN rolled out a teaser ad featuring John Cena and its first-ever mascot, App-E, across Disney’s linear networks, social media and online video.
  • Cena portrays a “sports coach” tasked with explaining the app’s interactive features, from live-event streaming to personalized content curation.
  • The campaign ties into ESPN’s newly secured five-year WWE rights deal, which makes the service the exclusive home of premium events like WrestleMania.
  • ESPN aims to reach both cord-cutters and traditional viewers by integrating the streaming platform into bundle options with Disney+ and Hulu.
  • The launch on August 21 comes as ESPN and its owners confront ongoing cable subscriber declines and face rival sports-streaming apps including Fox One, Peacock and Prime Video.