ESPN is using the NBA Finals 2025 as the stage to launch a bold new marketing campaign titled “Sports Forever” a nostalgic and forward-looking effort that highlights the network’s legacy while preparing audiences for its next big leap: a direct-to-consumer streaming service launching in Fall 2025.
The campaign features a commercial that will air during the NBA Finals, connecting the brand’s rich television history with its digital future. At the heart of the spot is a throwback to ESPN’s very first broadcast on September 7, 1979, when anchor Lee Leonard welcomed viewers to “sports heaven.”
The ad seamlessly blends old footage of Leonard with modern clips of today’s top athletes, teams, and ESPN coverage all set to a cinematic rendition of ESPN’s iconic theme tune: “dadada, dadada.”
The opening line from that first 1979 broadcast is left untouched in the campaign. Sinan Dagli, executive creative director at BSSP, the agency behind the campaign, explained the creative decision, “That is literally the first broadcast, the first words ever spoken on ESPN. And we talked about it as almost this prophecy this oracle setting out the next four decades. It’s not modified at all, and it’s perfect for ushering us into the new era.”
The spot ends on a modern-day sports fan lounging on a couch and picking up their phone, as the familiar ESPN theme plays. Onscreen text then reads: “Fall 2025: The Next Era Begins.”
The “Sports Forever” campaign is only the beginning of ESPN’s larger marketing strategy to prepare audiences for its standalone streaming platform, which is scheduled to debut later this year. This move marks a major shift for the sports network, which has been a staple in the cable TV bundle for over four decades.
Jo Fox, ESPN’s Senior Vice President of Marketing, said, “Sports Forever is a campaign that emphasizes that being a fan is not just a momentary engagement — it’s a lifelong journey. ESPN has been on that journey for over four decades, connecting generations of fans to sport.”
While the current campaign is rooted in emotion and nostalgia, ESPN plans to launch a more detailed promotional push later this year focused on two key areas:
- Explaining the new direct-to-consumer service and how it fits into the broader sports media landscape.
- Showcasing the features of the updated ESPN app, which will serve as the central platform for streaming, live sports, highlights, and personalized content.
“We will have a really large launch campaign in the fall,” Fox explained. “We’ve had such a long history within the cable bundle, so we’ll need to explain the new product clearly. And we also want to highlight all the new features coming to the enhanced app.”
The Sports Forever campaign is part of a wider effort by ESPN to position itself as a leader in the evolving digital sports landscape. As cord-cutting accelerates and more viewers turn to streaming, ESPN is aiming to keep its loyal base while attracting a new generation of fans who prefer to watch games on mobile devices, tablets, or smart TVs.
“We wanted to remind fans that ESPN has the authority and leadership in the sports space to deliver an amazing experience — just like we always have,” Fox added.
With Fall 2025 just months away, ESPN is betting that decades of trust and fan loyalty will help it succeed in this new direct-to-consumer era.