Jim Beam Bourbon is partnering with ESPN to launch The Next Round?Served Up By Jim Beam, a Web series the brand is promoting with ads within the publisher's mobile Web site and iPhone applications.

The Next Round is a Web series hosted by ESPN personality and award-winning journalist Scoop Jackson and featuring famous guests discussing the news with a focus on sports and pop culture. ESPN will use several key mobile executions to promote The Next Round targeting iPhone users.

?We hope to attract the legal-purchase-age male, the quintessential guy with a sense of humor who has an interest in sports and enjoys quality time with his buddies,? said Kelly Doss, senior director of bourbons at Beam Global Spirits & Wine Inc., Deerfield, IL. ?We like to create legendary experiences for guys, and we know that they bond over Jim Beam cocktails and sports.

?The world?s number-one Bourbon together with the worldwide leader in sports?it is the perfect partnership as they are often enjoyed together,? she said. ?As the leading Bourbon in the world, it is important that we find an innovative way to market the brand utilizing all consumer mediums, including mobile, radio, online and print to create a fully integrated approach.

?We know we have to play where our guys play, and we recognize the importance of mobile devices to our guys? everyday lives.?

Beam Global Spirits & Wine Inc. is part of Fortune Brands Inc.

The company?s spirits brands include Jim Beam Bourbon, Sauza Tequila, Canadian Club Whisky, Courvoisier Cognac, Maker's Mark Bourbon, Laphroaig Scotch Whisky, Cruzan Rum and Knob Creek Bourbon.

Multinational, multimedia sports entertainment company ESPN Inc. is 80 percent owned by ABC Inc., which is an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Co. The Hearst Corp. holds a 20 percent interest in ESPN.

Multichannel activation featuring mobile
The Next Round launches Saturday, April 3, during the first commercial break of the 11 p.m. ET SportsCenter as well as on ESPN.com.

Each episode will feature Scoop Jackson and a range of guests?actors, athletes, media personalities and comedians?discussing the relevant topics of the moment.

Known for his strong opinions and edgy perspective, Mr. Jackson has covered sports and culture for more than 15 years.

New content will air every two weeks on ESPN.com, and portions of the show will air during the 11 p.m. SportsCenter on ESPN.

Segments will be recorded in Los Angeles at a custom-built ESPN/Jim Beam studio and at six remote locations that will include cities hosting major sporting events throughout the year.

The Web series premiere will be shot at a bar in Boston to coincide with baseball?s opening day. Additional shoot locations will be announced at a later date.

The Next Round will be featured across several ESPN properties and will have its own custom page on ESPN.com, which will house clips of the show, shoot summaries, video podcasts, pictures and links and will act as the hub for fan social media interaction.

Once per month, The Next Round segments will be featured on ESPN Radio.

Additionally, ESPN The Magazine will feature The Next Round six times throughout the course of the program.

To drive viewership of the Web series, Jim Beam and ESPN are implementing a retail program with co-branded point-of-sale materials.

Mobile will be a key channel driving viewership of the Web series.

?We'll be using an exciting new treatment within our Gamecast product,? said Amy Phillips, spokeswoman for ESPN, Bristol, CT. ?Fans love to follow live games on ESPN's Mobile Gamecast and during breaks in the action?halftime, quarter breaks, etcetera?we have the ability to serve up a 300x250 ad.

?The ad remains on the screen until the user closes it and, when tapped, will play segments from The Next Round,? she said. ?We'll also be using 300x50 Tap-To-Video banners on both ESPN's iPhone site as well as in our ScoreCenter iPhone app.

?Mobile is the screen that our fans have with them at all times, and it has become an increasingly more important piece of the marketing mix.?