Top Qs
Timeline
Chat
Perspective
ESPN8 The Ocho
Annual feature of obscure sports on ESPN From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Remove ads
ESPN8 The Ocho is a special program block showcasing seldom-seen obscure sports that airs on the networks of ESPN Inc. The Ocho is also offered as a free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channel on the Roku Channel and DirecTV Stream.[1][2]
The Ocho consists of lesser-known, unconventional and humorous sports, occupational competitions, esports and other competitions with some athletic, competitive or physical skill component. The block is traditionally presented in early August, the eighth month of the year. Much of the programming consists of previously recorded content and reruns previously aired on the ESPN networks,[3] some as far back as the 1990s.[4]
Remove ads
Origins
The concept of ESPN8 originated as a fictional television channel in the 2004 film Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, in which it was a full-time channel showcasing obscure competitions that are "almost a sport". Its name was a comic exaggeration; at the time, there were only four linear English-language ESPN channels in the U.S.: ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNEWS and ESPN Classic; the fifth, ESPNU, launched a year after the film. Its nickname, "The Ocho" (Spanish for "eight") was a play on ESPN2's 1990s nickname, "The Deuce."[5][3]
Starting August 8, 2017, ESPN paid homage to its lampooned portrayal in Dodgeball by airing a day-long "ESPN8: The Ocho" marathon on its college sports channel ESPNU as a way to fill airtime on the channel during the collegiate offseason. The 2017 airing was a success, prompting ESPN to repeat the block the next year, this time licensing the Dodgeball film from 20th Century Fox for inclusion in the block; it made some other adjustments to the 2018 schedule, including heavier editing to shorten each sport's time slot, hoping to accommodate short attention spans.[4]
Remove ads
Continuation
Summarize
Perspective
Due to a lack of live sports programming during the COVID-19 pandemic, ESPN announced on March 22, 2020 that it would reprise the stunt earlier than scheduled on ESPN2.[6] It did it on May 2, 2020, on ESPN, and then August 8, 2020, on ESPN2 as well as the Big Screen in Fortnite Party Royale.[7] A collection of sports that were featured on ESPN8, as well as the ESPN8 broadcast on these said networks, were available on the ESPN app.
Beginning in 2022, the majority of "OCHO Day" programming are events broadcast live from two venues in Rock Hill, South Carolina – The Rock Hill Sports & Event Center and Manchester Meadows.[8][9] Rock Hill is a suburb of Charlotte, North Carolina, where ESPN has production facilities for ESPNU and the SEC Network.[10][11]
The event was held again on ESPN2 on August 3, 2023.[12][13] For 2024, to celebrate "ocho years of The Ocho," the block expanded to four days, with the Savannah Bananas as the tent-pole; all three games of the team's Louisville, Kentucky series were telecast live in prime time, including the second game on ESPN's flagship channel, the first time the ESPN8 brand has expanded there.[14]
In December 2023, ESPN launched an ESPN8 free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channel on ABC.com and the ABC app.[15] In April 2024, the FAST channel launched in Canada under the name TSN The Ocho. In late 2024, with the ABC app's phaseout, ESPN8 moved to The Roku Channel;[1] ESPN8 is also available as a free channel on DirecTV Stream.[2]
Remove ads
Impact
The tongue-in-cheek inclusion of such sports on ESPN's schedule has led to increased exposure opportunities for those sports, which have performed well for ESPN. ESPN added a cornhole tournament airing in July 2018 outside the block, which it noted outdrew the WNBA All-Star Game, regular season Major League Baseball games and the final stage of the Tour de France among the key demographic of men age 18 to 49.[3] The inclusion of the Excel World Championships, an eSport that involves using spreadsheet programs in a competition to solve a series of problems, helped give the contest mainstream attention and credibility.[16]
ESPN8 appeared in the 2024 TV series Knuckles as the in-universe broadcaster of a bowling tournament, with commentators played by Rob Huebel and Paul Scheer.[17]
Scheduling
Summarize
Perspective
2024
August 1
- 7:00 p.m. Savannah Bananas v. The Party Animals at Louisville, KY (Game 1)
- 9:00 p.m. Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
- 11:00 p.m. NHRL Teams Robot Fighting Championship
- 11:30 p.m. World Juggling Federation Ultimate Overall Championship
August 2
- 12:30 a.m. Red Bull Gameball Royale
- 1:30 a.m. Ultimate Ninja World Series Finals
- 2:00 a.m. Three Rivers Waitstaff Competition
- 2:30 a.m. Sasquatch Uncut Beard and Mustache Competition
- 3:00 a.m. Belt-sander racing (from 2022)
- 3:30 a.m. USA Mullet Championships (from 2022)
- 4:30 a.m. 46th Annual Cherry Pit Spitting Championships
- 5:00 a.m. Jelle's Marble Runs (rerun of an unidentified 2019 episode)
- 5:30 a.m. Wisconsin Auctioneers Championship (from 2023)
- 6:00 a.m. Origins Gaming Tournament of Pieces Speed Puzzling
- 6:30 a.m. Competitive Speed Cubing
- 7:00 a.m. International Jump Rope Union World Championship
- 7:30 a.m. Freestyle Trampoline Association World Championship
- 8:00 a.m. Blade Masters: Axe and Knife Throwing hosted by the World Axe Throwing League
- 9:00 a.m. FlingGolf All Star Skills Challenge
- 10:00 a.m. BullShooter Invitational Shootout (electronic darts)
- 11:00 a.m. OmegaBall
- 12:00 noon Pop-a-Shot National Championship
- 1:00 p.m. Viii Sports (modified summer biathlon[18]) hosted by the YMCA
- 2:00 p.m. The Ocho Show (studio program)
- 3:00 p.m. American Wiffleball Association All-Star Game
- 4:00 p.m. USA Dodgeball All-Star Showcase
- 5:00 p.m. TurfWars Adult Kickball Championship
- 6:00 p.m. Major League Table Tennis Showcase
- 7:00 p.m. Slippery Stairs
- 8:00 p.m. American Cornhole League Armed Forces Event
- 10:00 p.m. Silverback Breaking Invitational
Game 2 of the Savannah Bananas/Party Animals Louisville series aired on ESPN under the ESPN8 brand.
August 3
- 1:30 a.m. Emerald Downs Corgi Races
- 2:00 a.m. World Dog Surfing Championships: Best Waves
- 3:00 a.m. Noblesville Bed Races (from 2022)
- 3:30 a.m. U.S. Air Guitar Competition (from 2021)
- 5:30 a.m. eSkootr Championship (from 2022)
- 6:00 a.m ZoneBall Clash
- 6:30 a.m. Speed Chess Championship Final (from 2022)
- 7:00 a.m. Microsoft Excel World Championship Finals
- 7:30 a.m. ProSayulita SUP Open (surfing competitions)
- 8:00 a.m. Battle of the Buoy 2
- 8:30 a.m. National Putting Tour Final (from 2023)
- 9:00 a.m. Forehand Strike U.S. Open
- 9:30 a.m. SXY National Beach Tennis Invitational
(break in programming)
- 7:00 p.m. Savannah Bananas v. The Party Animals at Louisville, KY (Game 3)
August 4
- 12:00 midnight Carjitsu Championship
- 12:30 a.m. Ultimate Tire Wrestling
- 1:00 a.m. Major League Paintball Atlantic City Open
- 1:30 a.m. OneWheel World Championship Race for the Rail (from 2023)
- 2:00 a.m. Footgolf World Championship (from 2023)
- 2:30 a.m. World Table Hockey Championships (from 2023)
- 3:00 a.m. Crossnet
- 3:30 a.m. Grass drag racing
- 4:00 a.m. American Ultimate Disc League Championship (from 2022)
- 4:30 a.m. Franklin Rock River Stone Skipping Competition
- 5:00 a.m. World Sign Spinning Championship
- 6:30 a.m. Teqball World Series from Tulsa, Oklahoma
- 7:30 a.m. Roofball World Championships
- 8:00 a.m. Hamlin Adult Big Wheel Races
- 8:30 a.m. ESPN Presents: Never Tell Me the Odds "Top Sports Seen in Star Wars"
Source: [14]
Remove ads
See also
References
Wikiwand - on
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Remove ads