World Chase Tag® to televise action-packed World Championship, WCT5, from the U.K. on ESPN Networks
NEW YORK, NY
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June 14, 2022 09:01 AM Eastern Daylight Time
World Chase Tag® USA (WCT), the world’s first and only global competitive tag organization, will air its World Championship on ESPN, the leading multinational, multimedia sports entertainment brand. ESPN2 is scheduled to carry seven hours of WCT5, an event that brings together the best Parkour and Freerunning athletes from around the globe.
The World Championship, WCT5, was held May 27-29th at the historic York Hall in London where the best Parkour and Freerunning athletes in the world battled it out to take home the top title. Teams from at least eight countries were represented, including the United States, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Czech Republic, Israel, and Switzerland.
WCT is the world’s first and only global competitive tag organization who recently announced an additional equity investment from production partner Tupelo Media Group, owned by Gray Television, Inc., the nation’s second largest local television broadcaster.
“With more than 800 million organic online views and offering more high impact, adrenaline filled hours of content on ESPN, makes us a global brand, participating with sponsors and distribution platforms worldwide,” said Johnny McMahon, GM and Chief Content Officer of World Chase Tag.
WCT and ESPN have a multi-year agreement to distribute WCT programming across ESPN television and digital platforms. ESPN and ESPN2 will be the primary television network homes of WCT. The television schedule of WCT5 is below:
- June 18: 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm on ESPN2
- June 25: 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm on ESPN
- June 26: 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm on ESPN2
- July 2: 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm on ESPN2
Episodes will re-air multiple times after the premiere dates.
Plans for Q3 include the Pan-American Championship in the U.S. and the European Middle East and Africa (EMEA) Championship in Europe. WCT6 (World Championship) will take place in the fourth quarter in either the U.S. or the UK. In addition to the ESPN telecasts, WCT is distributed online to an engaged social following, with 2M subscribers on social platforms including YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter, and Bilibili (China).
ABOUT WORLD CHASE TAG®
World Chase Tag® (WCT) combines the dynamic athleticism of Parkour with the age-old game of Tag. Invented by brothers Christian and Damien Devaux in the U.K., the competition began in 2016 and has quickly built a cult following around the world, securing millions of online views.
World Chase Tag® is the ultimate test of 1-on-1 pursuit, fought out on an unforgiving arena of steel & wood, between athletes displaying extraordinary speed & agility as they juke, leap & lunge to make a point-saving tag. 20 teams from all across the country (featuring world class parkour athletes, Hollywood stuntmen, Ninja Warrior finalists and an Olympic Track & Field silver medalist) compete across 5 rounds of knockout matches culminating in an extraordinary battle to take home the Second Annual World Chase Tag® USA Championship trophy.
WCT has amassed a global following including 80 WCT related videos with more than 1 million views and 50 million organic views in the last 12 months across World Chase Tag®’s social media platforms.
ABOUT ESPN
ESPN, Inc., is the world’s leading multinational, multimedia sports entertainment brand, featuring an unmatched portfolio of sports assets. It is comprised of eight U.S. 24-hour television networks (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNEWS, ESPNU, ESPN Deportes, Longhorn Network, SEC Network and the ACC Network; five with HD simulcast services – ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS and ESPN Deportes). Other businesses include direct-to-consumer video service ESPN+, ESPN Audio (broadcast, satellite, digital, podcasts), an array of digital services (ESPN.com and many other sites, ESPN App, fantasy games and more), multi-screen ESPN3, ESPN International (26 networks, syndication, radio, digital), consumer products, ESPN Events and espnW. Based in Bristol, Conn., ESPN is 80 percent owned by ABC, Inc., which is an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. Hearst holds a 20 percent interest in ESPN.
ABOUT TUPELO HONEY
Tupelo Honey produces and packages over 800 live sports and entertainment shows per year. It produces coverage of sporting events involving the PFL (Professional Fighters League), NFL, MLS, TBT (The Basketball Tournament), ACL (American Cornhole League), College Football, College Basketball, NBC Sports, ESPN, CBS Sports, Turner Sports, NFL Network, ACC Network, SEC Network, and more. In addition, Tupelo creates, develops and produces original programming for national syndication, including live music concerts for Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and other digital platforms.
Tupelo is wholly owned by Gray Television (NYSE:GTN), the second largest television broadcast company in the US. Gray also owns production companies Raycom Sports and PowerNation Studios, OTT channel Origin Sports, and production facility Third Rail Studios. It also is the majority owner of Swirl Films and an investor in Atlanta Film Studios.
Contact Details
World Chase Tag®
Christian Devaux
Tupelo Honey & World Chase Tag®
Cary I. Glotzer
ESPN
Kimberly Elchlepp
Company Website
