ESPN is getting rid of its BottomLine ticker during college football games, the network confirmed to Front Office Sports.
As it has already done away with for the College Football Playoff games and other big events like NBA and NHL postseason contests, ESPN will not feature the ticker for regular-season games that air on ABC, ACC Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNews, and SEC Network.
“We’re always looking for ways to better serve sports fans. By removing the BottomLine during live action, we’re creating a cleaner presentation that keeps the focus where it belongs—on the field,” an ESPN spokesperson said in the statement.
There will still be score alerts during games at specific times during each quarter, one source said. There will also be updates in places like above the score bug or on the top right of the screen to help viewers navigate various schedule changes that occur, such as if the present game is running late and a new game is starting on a different channel or platform.
The changes should provide a less cluttered viewing experience that better showcases the action on the field, and makes sense as a vast majority of fans can just check the scores of other games on their phones or tablets.
