Disney’s XFL Launch Won’t Just Bring New Football to ESPN
variety.comBrian Steinberg Senior TV Editor The newest edgy FX drama doesn’t rely on biker gangs, rogue cops, rural-country drug lords or a man left alone in a world filled with women.
Instead, it will focus on football players. A gridiron game might not normally qualify for association with series like “Sons of Anarchy,” “The Shield,” “Justified” or “Y: The Last Man.” but starting this week, there will be plenty of nail-biting at FX, which is picking up live sports for the first time in years.
XFL games will turn up on the network on weekends, a way for Disney to keep showing all the NBA, NHL and college matches that ESPN fans expect, while making a bid to bring other viewers in with the lure of football in the spring, when the NFL is on hiatus.
Disney intends to label the broadcasts as “ESPN on FX,” an identifier that is reminiscent of “FX on Hulu,” where most of the network’s signature series are available for streaming, The labels give shout-outs to both content and distribution, telling viewers what they will get and where they will get it.
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