 | |
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | English |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | ESPN Inc. |
| History | |
| Launched | September 5, 1992 (as The Option Play) |
| Closed | August 28, 2015 |
| Replaced by | ESPN College Extra |
ESPN GamePlan was an out-of-market sports package offering college football games to viewers throughout the United States. GamePlan began on Labor Day weekend, and continued through the first Saturday in December. It included all regional telecasts on ABC, as well as games from various syndicators like ESPN Plus, Raycom Sports and SportsWest, and some local stations like Allentown, Pennsylvania's WFMZ-TV which broadcast locally-produced college football games. Viewers could watch games from their cable or satellite provider or on the ESPN3 broadband Internet service.
Eventually, with carriage of ESPN3 moving from computers only to smartphones, tablets and digital media players allowing access without any additional fees, GamePlan became a superfluous package, with only the few providers who refused to offer ESPN3 or where ESPN3 access was limited (for instance, rural areas) really able to compel viewers to use the service.
On August 28, 2015, the package was discontinued, along with ESPN Full Court, to make way for ESPN College Extra,[1] which offered a select bundle of games that would previously have been broadcast by GamePlan and Full Court.[2][3]
- ^ "ESPN College Extra", http://www.espn.com/espncollegeextra/
- ^ "ESPN GamePlan is no more, ESPN College Extra to take its place." http://awfulannouncing.com/2015/espn-gameplan-is-no-more-espn-college-extra-to-take-its-place.html
- ^ "The New ESPN College Extra, Now on DIRECTV" http://www.itsallaboutsatellites.com/the-new-espn-college-extra-now-on-directv/