Disney sees AI helping to personalize new ESPN app

Walt Disney’s ESPN network is exploring the use of artificial intelligence to help personalize its news and recap show “SportsCenter” as younger audiences embrace streaming TV, ESPN Chairperson Jimmy Pitaro said on Wednesday.

As audiences shift away from cable TV, Disney is crafting a plan to offer its flagship ESPN network as a standalone app for the first time starting next year.

Disney aims to make the app the preeminent digital destination for sports fans, with a tailored version of “SportsCenter” based on users’ interests, Pitaro told reporters at the company’s headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut.