ESPN will be supplying information and news to foursquare's newly launched Events platform, a location based check-in service at events and venues around the country.
"Having ESPN integrated into foursquare's check-in functionality is a great way to serve highly engaged fans at the game," said John Kosner, senior VP of digital and print media at ESPN. "Teaming up with the talented team at foursquare is in line with our goal to deliver our content wherever fans are, and foursquare's growing audience of 10 million users is an important place for us to be."
Foursquare is one of the first collaborators to leverage elements of ESPN's new API program. ESPN is planning to release a set of APIs more broadly later in 2011.
ESPN will provide facts, stats, and other up-to-the-minute news on ESPN-branded venue pages for major sporting events from the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, college football and basketball, soccer, tennis, golf, racing and other sports.
In addition, ESPN has launched a foursquare brand page at https://foursquare.com/espn. This will feature tips on good food, trivia and notable aspects of the stadium experience.
"Through our new Events platform, users can easily tell their friends not just where they are, but also what they're doing, while unlocking valuable information about the events they're attending," said Jonathan Crowley, director of business development for foursquare, in a statement. "We're thrilled to work with ESPN to provide our more than 10 million users with the most up-to-date information on the sporting events they're checking in to."
