Content discover platform, Outbrain, has announced an exclusive multi-year global deal with ESPN to deliver sponsored content recommendations to its users around the world, while taking advantage of Outbrain’s real-time analytics and insights capabilities.

The agreement enables ESPN to fully leverage the scale of its worldwide digital audience, which averages more than 116 million unique visitors per month. Using Outbrain technology, recommended content will be presented to ESPN users as well as up-to-the-minute trending stories and informative branded content.

Outbrain’s platform empowers media companies to most effectively manage their own online content recommendations. The company will provide ESPN with predictive analytics tools to help improve engagement and performance, as well as content recommendations generated by its best-in-class technology that analyses 6.9 billion bits of data daily.

ESPN will also leverage Outbrain’s publisher network – the largest in the business – to drive additional audiences across desktop, mobile, smartphone and tablet apps to its digital properties. Additionally, ESPN will be the first to take advantage of Outbrain’s newly launched publisher sales solution, allowing the ESPN sales group the ability to sell placements across all ESPN digital products globally via the Outbrain Engage platform.

“Personalisation is a core pillar in our mission to serve sports fans. As our global audience continues to grow, Outbrain provides high-quality products with scalable solutions,” said John Kosner, executive vice president of ESPN digital media.

“ESPN holds a truly unique position in digital media,” said Yaron Galai, co-founder and CEO of Outbrain.  “Outbrain is a full platform solution that is able to meet all of ESPN’s Content Discovery and audience growth needs. As such, we’re confident that our ingenuity and continuous product innovations will enable ESPN to continue to build more personalised content experiences across the globe.”

Added Ed Erhardt, president, ESPN customer marketing and sales: “This gives our sales team a new avenue by which to tap into the sponsored content marketplace. We look forward to bringing these solutions to our global customer base.”