A live United Kingdom-based ESPN channel first appeared on our screens in 2009.
Some say the catalyst for its entry was the collapse of Irish broadcaster Setanta and its relinquishing of Barclays Premier League rights, however, ESPN plans to launch a new channel in the UK had been worked on for some time.
Since its inception, the facts and figures show that ESPN has gone from strength to strength, particularly where the coverage of Premier League football is concerned.
Last Saturday, Sports Mole was invited to the ESPN studios in Chiswick for the Stoke City vs. Manchester City fixture to see just how the company goes about screening matches live to their watching audience.
Arrival: 2.45pm
When Sports Mole arrives, rehearsals involving presenter Ray Stubbs and pundit Kevin Keegan are already well underway. The second pundit, Steve McManaman, is going to be late as he is commentating on Chelsea vs. Tottenham Hotspur for ESPN in the States. A full tour of studio is provided, highlighting just how many people it takes to make a three-hour live football show run smoothly. From the executive producer Nick Moody, to the camera operator Katie Lawes, everybody is busy preparing for the 4.30pm start.
ESPN Arena and ESPN Touchline
Having completed his first part of rehearsals, former England boss Keegan takes some time to show us through the ESPN Arena and ESPN touchline.
The Arena, which on appearance looks like a table, provides an augmented reality for the viewer. Keegan is able to move, twist and turn the players on the screen in a show of manipulation that has never been shown on UK television before.
Talking about the Arena, Keegan joked: "It makes our job harder! We have to come in earlier for rehearsals."
The touchline is a television screen which allows the pundit easy access to the team lineups and latest scores. Liverpool are trailing 1-0 at home to Wigan Athletic at the time - much to displeasure of Keegan, McManaman, producer Nick and manager of communications Tristan O'Carroll!
ESPN Goals
Director of digital media Robin Ashton provides a demonstration of the ESPN Goals app, where it is revealed that over 2 million people had downloaded the service, which is available for free.
The app, which has had nine months consecutive growth in terms of views, shows all Premier League goals within minutes of the action happening, except on Saturdays when UEFA rules mean it cannot show goals between 2.45pm and 5.15pm
Game time
Stubbs, Keegan and McManaman go live as the build-up to Man City's trip to the Britannia Stadium gets underway. All appears to go well with the technical aspect of the show, while the hefty-looking script is followed almost to the letter.
End of the day
Roberto Mancini's City are held by Stoke, whose goal is a contender for the best strike of the season courtesy of Peter Crouch. Presenter and pundits finish their analysis for the television and prepare for ESPN Extra Time - a show for online viewers.
Over the course of the day, Sports Mole spoke to McManaman on a range of footballing subjects, while the company's senior director of programming in Europe, Middle East and Africa Simon Potter revealed a number of plans that ESPN has in the pipeline.
