• “Walk on Water” Marks First Song Released by THIRTY SECONDS TO MARS in Four Years
• ESPN Teams up with Interscope Records and Universal Music Group Nashville For Third Consecutive Year
• Season Coverage Will Also Include Music from Aloe Blacc, Darius Rucker, Ice Cube, Imagine Dragons, Lady Antebellum, Jaden Smith, Kendrick Lamar, One Republic, The Band Perry and more

ESPN’s 2017 college football programming will be complemented by an array of music from some of the country’s top artists, highlighted by THIRTY SECONDS TO MARS’ “Walk on Water,” which will be used for ESPN’s season-long college football marketing campaign.

The song features a sweeping chorus as a call to arms that embodies the spirit of elite athletes, which made it a natural fit for the band and ESPN’s college football programming for the 2017 season. “Walk On Water” marks the first single from the multi-platinum selling band’s highly anticipated forthcoming fifth studio album.

“As we continue to grow the College Football Playoff into a must-see, cultural event, music plays a big role,” said ESPN vice president of sports marketing Emeka Ofodile. “‘Walk on Water’ is a perfect fit for this year’s campaign because it embodies the spirit of each team’s journey and the incredible lengths they go to throughout the season in order to make the College Football Playoff.”

Next week, “Walk On Water” will have its world television debut in a can’t-miss performance on this year’s MTV VMAs. The song had its radio debut today on iHeart Radio alternative stations, beginning at 8 a.m. ET and will be played throughout the day.

“WALK ON WATER is a song for all of us,” said Jared Leto. “It’s a song about freedom, about persistence, about change and about fighting for what you believe in. It is a call to arms but also full of all the optimism and hope that is such an integral part of the American Dream.”

In addition to THIRTY SECONDS TO MARS, ESPN’s college football coverage will bring viewers the latest and greatest songs from the music scene as part of an ongoing collaboration between ESPN, Interscope Records and Universal Music Group Nashville. For the third consecutive year, artists from the label will be featured across a variety of shows, promotions and games on ESPN’s college football platforms—both on television and digital.

“The ability to collaborate with Interscope and Universal Music Nashville over the last three years has been a great asset to ESPN and our coverage,” said ESPN music director Kevin Wilson. “In addition to bringing fans the best games each week during college football season, we have the ability to give the latest music from some of the top artists in the country. Combining music and sports truly is entertainment at its best.”

College football fans will hear music from THIRTY SECONDS TO MARS and other top artists including Aloe Blacc, Brandon Lay, Darius Rucker, Goodbye June, Gryffin & Illenium, Ice Cube, Imagine Dragons, Jaden Smith, Kendrick Lamar, Lady Antebellum, MGK, One Republic, Shania Twain, Sir Sly, Sur, The Band Perry, X Ambassadors, and many more throughout the season. Additional music highlights for ESPN’s 2017 college football season include:

• New Music Weekends: ESPN will work with Interscope to debut singles from big-name artists on select ESPN Friday night college football telecasts throughout the season.
• Jamie N Commons:The band’s single “Glory” debuted in an SEC Network commercial last July and will continue to be used throughout the 2017 season, promoting the biggest game of the week.
• Live Performances:Artists will perform live at ESPN college football games throughout the season

ESPN/ABC Set for Historic College Football Kickoff Weekend
ESPN’s college football kickoff weekend schedule will be unprecedented as, for the first time in the sport’s storied history, the preseason’s top team opens the season vs. an opponent ranked in the top 3. The year-long anticipation was set in stone when Florida State and Alabama were ranked No. 3 and No. 1, respectively, in the Associated Press Top 25. The Seminoles and Tide will faceoff on Saturday, Sept. 2 (8 p.m., ABC), with Maria Taylor making her ABC Saturday Night Football debut alongside Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit. ESPN’s kickoff weekend includes 17 ranked teams across its networks. Additional schedule and commentator details are available here.

About THIRTY SECONDS TO MARS
Thirty Seconds to Mars, comprised of Jared Leto, Shannon Leto and Tomo Milicevic hail from Los Angeles, CA. The band’s eponymous debut album, 30 Seconds to Mars, was released in 2002 and remains a cult favorite. They went on to achieve worldwide success with the release of their second album A Beautiful Lie (2005), which sold over 5 million copies. Their next release was This Is War in 2009. The recording process of the album was marked by a legal dispute with record label EMI that eventually became the subject of the award winning and acclaimed documentary film Artifact (2012). Thirty Seconds to Mars then released the fourth album, Love, Lust, Faith and Dreams (2013), to critical and commercial success. The band has sold over 15 million albums worldwide and sells out arenas and stadiums globally. Thirty Seconds to Mars has received numerous awards and accolades throughout their career, including a dozen MTV Awards, a Billboard Music Award and a Guinness World Record for the Longest Running Tour in history. On July 4th, the band shot a documentary titled A Day In the Life of America. Including over 90 crews in all 50 states (plus Washington DC and Puerto Rico), the project captures American life in a single day. A Day in the Life of America is due for release in 2018. Thirty Seconds to Mars are currently working on their highly anticipated 5th studio album.

About Interscope
Combining the legacies of three of the most influential record labels in modern music history, Interscope Geffen A&M embarked on a new tradition of musical achievement with its unification on January 1, 1999.  Headed by Chairman and CEO John Janick, Interscope Geffen A&M is a major force in global music, developing chart-topping artists across a wide range of musical genres including rock, rap, pop and alternative. Interscope Geffen A&M is part of Universal Music Group, the world’s largest music company. www.interscope.com

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