ESPN showed the world how it could experience sports on the Internet. In 1995, ESPNET SportsZone turned a broadcast brand into a live digital destination, and by 1996 GameCast let fans “watch” games in a browser with real-time stats. A year later, it earned a Webby at our first awards ceremony, setting the bar for sports online. The ESPN.com scoreboard and the ESPN app, born from ScoreCenter, made checking scores a reflex, with push alerts shaping daily life. WatchESPN moved full networks into an app and proved big-ticket games belong on your phone. Grantland and The Sports Guy column launched Bill Simmons’ digital career, which went on to earn repeated Webby honors, and 30 for 30 turned documentaries into digital culture with Webby recognition across formats. On social, SportsCenter on Instagram and Snapchat helped codify vertical highlights, and ESPN grew into the most-followed brand on TikTok, proving it could play like a creator as well as a network. ESPN taught fans to expect sports everywhere across the Internet, always live and always social.

NOTABLE WORK

ESPN Sports Zone (1997)

A Mountain to Climb (2019) 

30 for 30 Podcasts (2023) 

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The 30th Annual Webby Awards is Open

Earning a Webby Award can take your company to new heights, but only if you participate. Submit work in the 30th Annual Webby Awards by the Early Entry Deadline on Friday, October 24, 2025 for best pricing.