Mobile ESPN to be resurrected on Verizon (http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070208-8795.html) -- Ars Technica, 2007-02-08
A few short months after being euthanized (http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060928-7855.html), Mobile ESPN is about to be resurrected (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17044186/). This time around, it's going to be a channel on Verizon's V CAST video service rather than a full-fledged Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO).

ESPN Mobile was originally launched in February 2006, with the sports network using Sprint Nextel's network to offer video clips, sports content, and cellular service brought to subscribers via ESPN-branded phones. The sports network had high hopes for the service. After all, there are millions of obsessive fantasy football and baseball players hungering for the latest stats and and information on their favorite players.

Unfortunately for ESPN, the legion of sports (and ESPN) fans failed to translate into subscribers. Perhaps it was the relatively high cost: getting highlights streamed to your phone cost a minimum of $14.99 per month in addition to what subscribers had to pay for basic calling plans. Whatever the reason, the heavy promotion on ESPN and a commercial that ran during Super Bowl XL was reportedly only able to attract around 30,000 subscribers.

Verizon breathing new life into Mobile ESPN (http://news.com.com/2100-1039_3-6157690.html?part=rss&tag=2547-1_3-0-5&subj=news) -- CNet News.com, 2007-02-08
The two companies have signed an exclusive multiyear deal that will allow Verizon Wireless to offer the Mobile ESPN application developed for ESPN's homegrown mobile phone service through Verizon's V Cast multimedia service. The application will be available later this year, a Verizon Wireless representative said.

The deal also allows Verizon to broadcast live ESPN sporting events over Verizon TV (http://news.com.com/Verizon+offers+live+TV+on+cell+phones/2100-1039_3-6147908.html), a new service that uses Qualcomm's mobile broadcasting network called MediaFlo (http://news.com.com/New+networks+for+mobile+TV/2100-1039_3-6022654.html). Verizon said last month that the V Cast TV service would launch in the first quarter of this year. Other channels include NBC, CBS, Fox and MTV.

No big surprise,,

I recall Disney Computer Games, in all its various incarnations, was shot and resurrected around a half-dozen times over the many years. For upper management, its probably too much minutia to figure out which people to keep, so they just shoot the whole group and then reform, try, try, try again.

:)