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{{short description|American television and radio sports network}}
{{About||the British ESPN-owned channel of the same name|ESPN (UK)|the railroad|East Penn Railroad}}
{{About|the U.S. television channel|the company and other channels of the same name|ESPN Inc.|the railroad|East Penn Railroad|the gene|Espin (protein){{!}}ESPN (gene)}}
{{Refimprove|date=August 2010}}
{{Use American English|date=October 2020}}
{{Infobox TV channel
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2024}}
|name =ESPN
{{Infobox television channel
|owner = [[The Walt Disney Company]] (80%)<br>[[Hearst Corporation]] (20%)
| name = ESPN
|sister names = [[ESPN2]]<br>[[ESPN3.com]]<br>[[ESPNU]]<br>[[ESPN America]]<br>[[ESPN Brasil]]<br>[[ESPN Classic]]<br>[[ESPN Deportes]]<br>[[ESPNews]]<br>[[ESPN Plus]]<br>[[ESPN on ABC]]<br>[[ESPN (UK)]]<br>[[The Sports Network|TSN]]
|logofile =ESPN wordmark.svg
| logo = ESPN wordmark.svg
| caption = Logo since 1985.
|logoalt =
| launch_date = {{Start date and age|1979|09|07}}<ref>{{cite web|last=Couch|first=Teri|title=ESPN, Inc.: 1979 in Review|url=https://espnpressroom.com/us/press-releases/1980/01/espn-inc-1979-in-review/|website=ESPN.com|date=January 2, 1980|access-date=August 29, 2022|quote=The sports television landscape was changed forever on September 7, 1979, with the launch of the world's first all-sports, satellite-delivered cable television network. The Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, based in Bristol, Conn., is beamed to affiliate systems nationwide on Satcom I, Transponder #7 and is now seen in approximately four million U.S. households. ESPN is led by former NBC Sports president Chester R. Simmons.|url-status=live|archive-date=August 29, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220829183935/https://espnpressroom.com/us/press-releases/1980/01/espn-inc-1979-in-review/}}</ref>
|logosize =180px
| picture_format = [[720p]] ([[HDTV]])<br />(selected matches are upscaled to [[4K resolution#2160p resolution|2160p]] [[Ultra-high-definition television|4K UHD]] broadcasts on selected platforms)<br />(downscaled to [[letterboxed]] [[480i]] for the [[SDTV]] feed)
|logocaption =The current ESPN logo, which has been used since 1985
| owner = [[ESPN Inc.]]
|country =United States
| country = [[United States]]
|language =English
| language = [[English language|English]]
|launch =September 7, 1979
|headquarters =[[Bristol, Connecticut]]
| headquarters = [[Bristol, Connecticut]]
| sister_channels = * [[ESPN2]]
|web =[http://espn.go.com/ ESPN.com]
* [[ESPNU]]
|career =http://espncareers.com/
* [[ESPNews]]
|former names =
* [[ESPN Deportes]]
|picture format =[[480i]] ([[SDTV]])<br>[[720p]] ([[HDTV]]) <!-- ESPN is not changing to 1080i unlike the other channels -->
* [[ACC Network]]
|slogan =The Worldwide Leader in Sports
* [[SEC Network]]
|sat serv 1 =[[DirecTV]]
| website = {{official URL}}
|sat chan 1 =206 (SD/HD) <br> 210 Alternate feed
| online_serv_1 = [[ESPN+]]
|sat serv 2 =[[Dish Network]]
| online_chan_1 = {{URL|https://www.espn.com/espnplus|espn.com/espnplus}}<br />(U.S. pay-TV subscribers only)
|sat chan 2 =140 (SD/HD) <br> 145 147 148 Alternate feeds
| online_serv_2 = Service(s)
|sat serv 3 = [[DSTV]]
| online_chan_2 = [[DirecTV Stream]], [[FuboTV]], [[Hulu|Hulu with Live TV]], [[Sling TV]], [[YouTube TV]]
|sat chan 3 = Channel 230
|cable serv 1 = [[Teledasun (LBN)]]<br><small>([[Sri Lanka]])</small>
|cable chan 1 = Channel
|cable serv 2 =Available on most cable systems
|cable chan 2 =Check local listings for channels
|adsl serv 1 = [[U-verse|AT&T U-Verse]]
|adsl chan 1 = 602 (SD)<br>1602 (HD)
| cable serv 2 = [[Verizon Fios]]
| cable chan 2 = 70 (SD) <br> 570 (HD)
| online serv 1 = [[ESPN3]]
| online chan 1 = [http://www.espn3.com ESPN3.com]
|key_people =[[George Bodenheimer]], [[President]]
|founder =[[Scott Rasmussen]] and Bill Rasmussen
}}
}}
'''Entertainment and Sports Programming Network''', almost always referred to by its [[Acronym and initialism|initialism]] '''ESPN''', is an American [[cable television]] [[Television network|network]] dedicated to [[Broadcasting of sports events|broadcasting]] and producing sports-related programming 24 hours a day


'''ESPN''' (an abbreviation of its original name, the '''Entertainment and Sports Programming Network'''<ref name="ESPN meaning"/>) is an American international [[basic cable]] [[sports channel]] owned by [[The Walt Disney Company]] (80% and operational control) and [[Hearst Communications]] (20%) through the joint venture [[ESPN Inc.]] The company was founded in 1979 by [[Bill Rasmussen]], [[Scott Rasmussen]] and Ed Eagan.<ref name="ESPN meaning">{{cite web|title=What does ESPN stand for?|url=https://support.espn.com/hc/en-us/articles/360039139792-What-does-ESPN-stand-for-|publisher=ESPN Internet Ventures, LLC|website=[[ESPN.com]]|access-date=September 8, 2022|url-status=live|language=en-US|archive-date=March 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230309203806/https://support.espn.com/hc/en-us/articles/360039139792-What-does-ESPN-stand-for-}}</ref>
Founded by [[Bill Rasmussen]]<ref name="espnfounder">[http://www.espnfounder.com/about_bill.htm "Bill Rasmussen, the Father of Cable Sports." ESPNFounder.com]</ref> and his son [[Scott Rasmussen]], it launched on September 7, 1979 under the direction of [[Chet Simmons]], the network's President and CEO (and later the [[United States Football League]]'s first commissioner). [[Getty Oil|Getty Oil Company]] provided the funding to begin the new venture. Geoff Bray of New Britain, CT was chosen as the architect. [[George Bodenheimer]] is ESPN's current president, a position he has held since November 19, 1998. Bodenheimer has also headed ABC Sports, a separate legal entity now branded as [[ESPN on ABC]], since March 3, 2003.


ESPN broadcasts primarily from studio facilities located in [[Bristol, Connecticut]]. The network also operates offices and auxiliary studios in [[Miami]], [[Orlando, Florida|Orlando]], [[New York City]], [[Las Vegas, Nevada|Las Vegas]], [[Seattle]], [[Charlotte, North Carolina|Charlotte]], [[Washington, D.C.]], and [[Los Angeles]]. [[James Pitaro]] has been chairman since March 5, 2018, following the resignation of [[John Skipper]] on December 18, 2017.<ref>{{cite news |title=John Skipper is promoted to ESPN president |url=https://www.latimes.com/business/la-xpm-2011-nov-23-fi-ct-espn-20111123-story.html |work=Los Angeles Times |last=James |first=Meg |date=November 23, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120127191740/http://articles.latimes.com/2011/nov/23/business/fi-ct-espn-20111123 |archive-date=January 27, 2012 |access-date=January 24, 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref>
ESPN's signature telecast, ''[[SportsCenter]]'', debuted with the network and aired its 30,000th episode on February 11, 2007. ESPN broadcasts primarily from its studios in [[Bristol, Connecticut]]. The network also operates offices in New York City; [[Seattle]], [[Washington (U.S. state)|Washington]]; [[Charlotte]], [[North Carolina]]; and Los Angeles. The Los Angeles office, from which the late-night edition of ''SportsCenter'' is now broadcast, opened at [[L.A. Live]] in early 2009. The name of the sport company was lengthened to "ESPN Inc." in February 1985.


{{As of|2023|12}}, ESPN is available to approximately 70&nbsp;million pay television households in the United States—down from its 2011 peak of 100&nbsp;million households.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://wrestlenomics.com/u-s-cable-network-households-universe-1990-2023-nielsen-data/|title=U.S. cable network households (universe), 1990 – 2023|website=wrestlenomics.com|date=May 14, 2024|access-date=July 28, 2019}}</ref> It operates regional channels in Africa, Australia, Latin America, and the Netherlands. In Canada, it owns a 20% interest in [[The Sports Network]] (TSN) and its five sister networks. Despite the network's success, [[criticism of ESPN]] includes accusations of biased coverage,<ref>[https://www.espn.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=schreiber_leanne&id=3534299 "Geography lesson: Breaking down the bias in ESPN's coverage"]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190620141654/https://www.espn.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=schreiber_leanne&id=3534299|date=June 20, 2019}}. ESPN.com, August 15, 2008.</ref> [[conflict of interest]], and controversies with individual broadcasters and analysts.{{citation needed|date=October 2023}}
ESPN markets itself as "The Worldwide Leader in Sports". Most programming on ESPN and its affiliated networks consists of live or tape-delayed sets of events and sports-related news programming (such as ''SportsCenter''). The remainder includes sports-related talk shows (such as ''[[Around the Horn]]'', ''[[Jim Rome is Burning]]'', ''[[Outside the Lines]]'', "[[SportsNation (TV series)|SportsNation]]", and ''[[Pardon the Interruption|PTI]]''), sports-related documentaries, films (such as "''[[3: The Dale Earnhardt Story]]''"), and original series (such as "''[[The Bronx Is Burning]]''").


==History==
==History==
{{main|History of ESPN}}
===Early months===
===Background and Launch===
ESPN was originally conceived by [[Bill Rasmussen]],<ref name="espnfounder" /> a television [[sports]] reporter for [[WWLP]], the [[NBC]] affiliate in [[Springfield, Massachusetts]].<ref name="sportsjunkiesrejoice">[http://www.espnfounder.com/bill_book.htm ''Sports Junkies Rejoice! The Birth of ESPN''], by [[Bill Rasmussen]]. Published in paperback in 2010.</ref> In the mid-1970s, Rasmussen worked for the [[World Hockey Association]]'s [[New England Whalers]], selling commercial time for their broadcasts. His son Scott, a former high school goaltender, was the team's [[public address system|public-address announcer]]. Both were fired in 1977 and Rasmussen sought a new business venture. His original idea was a [[cable television]] network (then a fairly new medium) that focused on covering sports events in the state of [[Connecticut]] (for example, the [[Hartford Whalers]], Bristol Red Sox, and the [[Connecticut Huskies]]). When Rasmussen was told that buying a continuous 24-hour satellite feed was less expensive than buying several blocks of only a few hours a night, he expanded to a 24-hour nationwide network. The channel's original name was ESP, for Entertainment and Sports Programming, but it was changed prior to launch.<ref>''ESPN: An Uncensored History'', by [[Michael Freeman]]. Published in 2000</ref>
[[File:ESPN HQ.jpg|thumb|Headquarters in [[Bristol, Connecticut]]]]


[[Bill Rasmussen]] came up with the concept of ESPN in May 1978, after he was fired from his job with the [[World Hockey Association]]'s [[Hartford Whalers|New England Whalers]]. Rasmussen and his ESPN co-founder Ed Eagan, joined by Rasmussen's son [[Scott Rasmussen|Scott]] (who had also been let go by the Whalers), first rented office space in [[Plainville, Connecticut]]. However, the plan to base ESPN there was put on hold because of a local ordinance prohibiting buildings from bearing rooftop [[satellite dish]]es. Available land to build their own facility on was quickly found in [[Bristol, Connecticut]] (where the channel remains headquartered to this day), with funding to buy the property provided by [[Getty Oil]], which purchased 85% of the company from Bill Rasmussen on February 22, 1979, in an attempt to diversify the company's holdings. This helped the credibility of the fledgling company; however, there were still many doubters about the viability of their sports channel concept. Another event that helped build ESPN's credibility was securing an advertising agreement with [[Anheuser-Busch]] in the spring of 1979; the company invested $1 million to be the "exclusive beer advertised on the network".<ref name="A">{{cite news|last=Kleinfield|first=N.R.|title=ABC To Acquire ESPN As Texaco Sells Its 72%|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/05/01/business/abc-to-acquire-espn-as-texaco-sells-its-72.html|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=May 1, 1984|access-date=August 30, 2021|url-status=live|archive-date=March 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230309204147/https://www.nytimes.com/1984/05/01/business/abc-to-acquire-espn-as-texaco-sells-its-72.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Potts|first=Mark|title=ABC to Buy Texaco's ESPN Cable Channel|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/business/1984/05/01/abc-to-buy-texacos-espn-cable-channel/6e5a4aeb-8885-4b64-88dd-4a3924e5cd6e/|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=May 1, 1984|access-date=August 30, 2021|url-status=live|archive-date=September 3, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180903215449/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/business/1984/05/01/abc-to-buy-texacos-espn-cable-channel/6e5a4aeb-8885-4b64-88dd-4a3924e5cd6e/}}</ref>
ESPN started with the debut of ''[[SportsCenter]]'' hosted by [[Lee Leonard]] and [[George Grande]] then later by people such as Clayton Bell who went to Warren HIlls on September 7, 1979. Afterwards was a pro slow pitch softball game. The first score on ''SportsCenter'' was from women's [[tennis]] on the final weekend of the [[US Open (tennis)|US Open]].


[[File:ESPN's Old Logo.png|thumb|ESPN's first logo, used from 1979 to 1985]]
To help fill 24 hours a day of air time, ESPN aired a wide variety of sports events that broadcast networks did not show on weekends, including [[Australian rules football]], the [[Canadian Football League]], [[Davis Cup|Davis Cup tennis]], [[professional wrestling]], [[boxing]], and additional [[college football]] and [[college basketball|basketball]] games. The U.S. Olympic Festival, the now-defunct competition that was organized as a training tool by the [[United States Olympic Committee]], was also an ESPN staple at the time. ESPN also aired business shows and exercise videos.
ESPN launched on September 7, 1979, beginning with the first telecast of what would become the channel's flagship program, ''[[SportsCenter]]''. Taped in front of a small live audience inside the Bristol studios, it was broadcast to 1.4 million cable subscribers throughout the United States.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-04-19-sp-1301-story.html|title=Dishing It Out : ESPN, the Little Network That Could, Finds There's 24-Hour Sports Audience|date=April 19, 1988 |author=Larry Stewart|work=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> One month after launch, [[Chris Berman]] joined the network; he would continue to be an on-air fixture for decades.


===1980s to 2000s===
ESPN recruited Steve Powell, former Director of Sports Programming at HBO, to be its first head of Programming. Powell had been the youngest VP at HBO and its parent company (Time, Inc.), but left to attend Harvard Business School. He worked for ESPN while completing the MBA Program at Harvard.
ESPN's next big step forward came when the channel acquired the rights to broadcast coverage of the early rounds of the [[NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament]]. It first aired its games in March 1980, helping bring attention to what is today known as "[[NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|March Madness]]". The channel's tournament coverage also launched the broadcasting career of [[Dick Vitale]], who at the time he joined ESPN had just been fired as head coach of the [[Detroit Pistons]].


In April of that year ESPN began televising the [[National Football League Draft|NFL Draft]], bringing it also to a mass audience and over time creating a television "event". That same month the network began broadcasting [[Boxing on ESPN|Top Rank Boxing on ESPN]], marking the beginning of its involvement with televised [[professional boxing]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://bigfightweekend.com/news/40-years-of-top-rank-boxing-on-espn/|title=40 Years of Top Rank Boxing on ESPN|date=April 10, 2020|access-date=December 28, 2021|archive-date=December 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211228181909/https://bigfightweekend.com/news/40-years-of-top-rank-boxing-on-espn/|url-status=live}}</ref> The show lasted 16 years, and ESPN has since shown boxing live intermittently with other shows including [[ESPN Friday Night Fights]] and others. For a period during the 1980s, the network had boxing tournaments, crowning champions in different boxing weight divisions as "ESPN champions".
===Professional sports arrive===
ESPN (along with the [[USA Network]]) was among the earliest cable-based broadcast partners for the [[National Basketball Association]] (NBA). Lasting from 1982 to 1984, the network's relationship with the association marked its initial foray into American professional sports. After an 18 year hiatus, ESPN (by then, under the auspices of the [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] network), secured a $2.4 billion, six-year broadcast contract with the NBA, thereby revitalizing its historic compact with U.S. [[professional basketball]].
The next major stepping stone for ESPN came throughout a couple of months in 1984. During this period, the [[American Broadcasting Company]] (ABC) purchased 100% of ESPN from the Rasmussens and Getty Oil.<ref name="A" /> Under Getty ownership, the channel was unable to compete for the television rights to major sports events contracts as its majority corporate parent would not provide the funding, leading ESPN to lose out for broadcast deals with the [[National Hockey League]] (to [[USA Network]]) and [[NCAA Division I college football]] (to [[TBS (American TV channel)|TBS]]). For years, the [[National Football League|NFL]], [[National Basketball Association|NBA]], and [[Major League Baseball]] refused to consider cable as a means of broadcasting some of their games.<ref name="B">{{cite news |last1=Wolverton |first1=Brad |last2=López-Rivera |first2=Marisa |last3=Killough |first3=Ashley C. |title=A Powerful League Piles Up Its Advantages |newspaper=Chronicle of Higher Education |date=September 4, 2009 |volume=56 |issue=2 |pages=A1–A28 |url=http://chronicle.com/article/Rise-of-the-SEC/48197/ |access-date=November 11, 2015 |archive-date=November 11, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151111201559/http://chronicle.com/article/Rise-of-the-SEC/48197/ |url-status=live}}</ref> However, with the backing of ABC, ESPN's ability to compete for major sports contracts greatly increased, and gave it credibility within the sports broadcasting industry.


Later that year, the [[Supreme Court of the United States|U.S. Supreme Court]] ruled in ''[[NCAA v. Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma]]'' (1984) that the [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]] could no longer monopolize the rights to negotiate the contracts for college football games, allowing each school to negotiate broadcast deals on their own. ESPN took full advantage and began to broadcast a large number of NCAA football games, creating an opportunity for fans to be able to view multiple games each weekend (instead of just one), the same deal that the NCAA had previously negotiated with TBS.<ref name="B" /> ESPN's breakthrough moment occurred in 1987 when it secured a contract with the NFL to broadcast eight games during [[1987 NFL season|that year's regular season]] – all of which aired on Sunday nights, marking the first broadcasts of Sunday NFL primetime games. ESPN's ''[[ESPN Sunday Night Football|Sunday Night Football]]'' games would become the highest-rated NFL telecasts for the next 17 years (before losing the rights to [[NBC]] in 2006).<ref name="C">{{cite news|last1=Goodwin|first1=Michael|title=ESPN Ends Season in Middle of Pack|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/12/29/sports/tv-sports-espn-ends-season-in-middle-of-pack.html|date=December 29, 1987|access-date=January 10, 2023|archive-date=January 10, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230110144255/https://www.nytimes.com/1987/12/29/sports/tv-sports-espn-ends-season-in-middle-of-pack.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The channel's decision to broadcast NFL games on Sunday evenings resulted in a decline in viewership for the daytime games shown on the major broadcast networks, marking the first time that ESPN had been a legitimate competitor to NBC and CBS, which had long dominated the sports television market.
In 1983, The [[United States Football League]] (USFL) made its debut on ESPN and ABC. The league (which lasted for three seasons) enjoyed ephemeral success, some portion of which was a byproduct of the exposure afforded through ESPN coverage.


In 1992, ESPN launched [[ESPN Radio]], a national [[sports talk radio]] network providing analysis and commentary programs (including shows such as ''[[Mike and Mike in the Morning]]'' and ''[[The Herd with Colin Cowherd|The Herd]]'') as well as audio play-by-play of sporting events (including some simulcast with the ESPN television channel).<ref name="A" />
On July 15, 1985, ESPN started airing the "ESPN Sports Update" (later known as "28/58"), a condensed run-down of scores and news that aired at 28 and 58 minutes past the hour, when ''SportsCenter'' was not airing.<ref name=FirstsA>[http://www.espnmediazone.com/press_kits/ESPN30/ESPN30_Production_FirstsA.html ESPN's 30th Anniversary - 30 ESPN Firsts & Innovations] ESPN MediaZone</ref> This was changed to 18/58 on May 30, 2005.


On October 10, 1993, [[ESPN2]] – a secondary channel that originally was programmed with a separate lineup of niche sports popular with males 18–49 years old (with [[snowboarding]] and the [[World Series of Poker]] as its headliners) as well as serving as an overflow channel for ESPN – launched on cable systems reaching to 10 million subscribers.<ref name="A" /> It became the fastest-growing cable channel in the U.S. during the 1990s, eventually expanding its national reach to 75 million subscribers.<ref name="A" />
In [[1987 NFL season|1987]], ESPN gained partial rights to the [[National Football League]]. The league agreed to the deal as long as ESPN agreed to [[simulcast]] the games on local [[television stations]] in the participating [[media market|markets]]. ''[[ESPN Sunday Night Football]]'' would last for 19 years and spur ESPN's rise to legitimacy. In the 2006 NFL season, ESPN began airing ''[[Monday Night Football]]'', formerly seen on its sister network ABC. ([[NBC]] took over the Sunday night game, which replaced the Monday night contest as the league's weekly centerpiece game) Former Commissioner [[Paul Tagliabue]] credits ESPN for revolutionizing the NFL, "ESPN was able to take the draft, the pregame and highlight shows, and other NFL programming to a new level."<ref>ESPN: The Uncensored History</ref>


Ownership of ABC, and thus control of ESPN, was acquired by [[Capital Cities Communications]] in 1985.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1985/03/19/capital-cities-communications-to-buy-abc-for-35-billion/7e2d4fa9-144b-4704-8d2e-498bc5496057/|title=Capital Cities Communications To Buy ABC for $3.5 Billion|first=David A.|last=Vise|date=March 19, 1985|access-date=December 23, 2017|newspaper=The Washington Post|archive-date=December 23, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171223161021/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1985/03/19/capital-cities-communications-to-buy-abc-for-35-billion/7e2d4fa9-144b-4704-8d2e-498bc5496057/|url-status=live}}</ref> ESPN's parent company renamed themselves as Capital Cities/ABC Inc. Capital Cities/ABC Inc. was then acquired by [[The Walt Disney Company]] in 1996<ref>{{cite news|title=THE MEDIA BUSINESS;Disney and ABC Shareholders Solidly Approve Merger Deal|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/01/05/business/the-media-business-disney-and-abc-shareholders-solidly-approve-merger-deal.html|author=Geraldine Fabrikant|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=January 5, 1996|access-date=July 8, 2013|archive-date=October 4, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004224033/http://www.nytimes.com/1996/01/05/business/the-media-business-disney-and-abc-shareholders-solidly-approve-merger-deal.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and was re-branded as [[Walt Disney Television]].
In 1990, ESPN added [[Major League Baseball]] to its lineup with a $400 million contract.<ref>ESPN, Encyclopedia Britannica, http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9002482/ESPN</ref> The contract has been renewed and will continue through 2011. [[Jon Miller]] and [[Joe Morgan]] are the longtime voices of the network's centerpiece ''Sunday Night Baseball''. [[Steve Phillips]] joined the package in 2009, but Phillips was later dismissed by the network in October 2009.


===2000s===
ESPN broadcast each of the four [[Major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada|major professional sports leagues]] in North America from 2002 until 2004, when it cut ties with the [[National Hockey League]].<ref name="nhl">{{cite news| url=http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=2137098|publisher=ESPN|title=ESPN decides not to match Comcast's offer|date= August 18, 2005}}</ref> The network had aired NHL games from 1980–82, from 1986–89, and most recently from 1992-2004. ESPN has been broadcasting [[Major League Soccer]] games about once a week on ESPN2 since that league's inception in 1996. In most years, the annual [[Major League Soccer All-Star Game|All-Star Game]] and [[MLS Cup]] championship game, and in some years, the Opening Night game, are shown on ABC broadcast stations.
Challenges began to appear in the 2000s. ESPN began to shed viewers, more than 10 million over a period of several years in the 2010s even while paying large sums of money for the broadcast rights to properties like the NFL, [[NBA]] and [[College Football Playoff]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/26/sports/espn-layoffs.html?_r=0|title=A Struggling ESPN Lays Off Many On-Air Personalities|date=April 26, 2017|author=Joe Drape and Brooks Barnes|periodical=The New York Times|access-date=April 26, 2017|archive-date=April 29, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170429112214/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/26/sports/espn-layoffs.html?_r=0|url-status=live}}</ref>


On April 26, 2017, approximately 100 ESPN employees were notified that their positions with the sports network had been terminated, among them athletes-turned-analysts [[Trent Dilfer]] and [[Danny Kanell]], and noted journalists like [[NFL]] [[Beat reporting|beat reporter]] [[Ed Werder]] and [[Major League Baseball]] expert [[Jayson Stark]].<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.si.com/tech-media/2017/04/26/espn-layoffs-firings-list-details|title=ESPN layoffs: Firings list, details on state at network &#124; SI.com|date=April 26, 2017|author=Richard Deitsch|magazine=Sports Illustrated|access-date=October 28, 2017|archive-date=August 30, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170830170536/https://www.si.com/tech-media/2017/04/26/espn-layoffs-firings-list-details|url-status=live}}</ref> Further cost-cutting measures taken included moving the studio operations of [[ESPNU]] to Bristol from [[Charlotte, North Carolina]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/business/article146919714.html|title=ESPN layoffs hit Charlotte offices|date=April 26, 2017|author=Katherine Peralta|periodical=The Charlotte Observer|access-date=April 27, 2017|archive-date=April 26, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170426235610/http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/business/article146919714.html|url-status=live}}</ref> reducing its longtime MLB studio show ''[[Baseball Tonight]]'' to Sundays as a lead-in to the [[Sunday Night Baseball|primetime game]] and adding the [[MLB Network]]-produced ''[[Intentional Talk]]'' to [[ESPN2]]'s daily lineup.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://awfulannouncing.com/espn/espn-layoffs-baseball-tonight-intentional-talk.html|title=ESPN cutting Baseball Tonight to Sundays only, partnering with MLB Network on Intentional Talk|date=April 27, 2017|author=Ian Casselberry|periodical=Awful Announcing|access-date=April 27, 2017|archive-date=April 28, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170428142546/http://awfulannouncing.com/espn/espn-layoffs-baseball-tonight-intentional-talk.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
With the increasing cost of live sports entertainment, such as the USD$8.8 billion costs for NFL football broadcasts rights for eight years, "scripted entertainment has become a luxury item for ESPN," said David Carter, director of the [[Sports Business Institute]] at the [[University of Southern California]].<ref>"ESPN calls time out on scripted fare", Variety, vol. 407, No. 1, May 21–27, 2007, p. 22</ref>


On April 12, 2018, ESPN began a supplemental [[over-the-top content|over-the-top]] streaming service known as [[ESPN+]].<ref name="verge-espnplusapril">{{cite news|url=https://www.theverge.com/2018/4/2/17188752/espn-plus-launching-april-12th-pricing-features-content|title=ESPN+ will launch on April 12th for $4.99 per month|work=The Verge|access-date=April 3, 2018|archive-date=April 2, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180402224831/https://www.theverge.com/2018/4/2/17188752/espn-plus-launching-april-12th-pricing-features-content|url-status=live}}</ref>
ESPN broadcasts 65 sports, 24 hours a day in 15 languages in more than 150 countries.<ref name="ESPN Inc">[http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9002482/ESPN ESPN Inc] Encyclopedia Britannica</ref>


After having last carried national-televised [[National Hockey League|NHL]] games in 2004, ESPN and ABC agreed in March 2021 on a seven-year contract to televise games, with some airing on [[ESPN+]] and [[Hulu]]. The contract also awarded four of the seven Stanley Cup Finals to both ESPN and ABC. All other nationally televised games would air on [[TBS (American TV channel)|TBS]] and [[TNT (American TV network)|TNT]] under a separate deal the league struck with [[Turner Sports]] the following month.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hayes |first1=Dade |last2=Pedersen |first2=Erik |title=Turner & NHL Ice Seven-Year Rights Deal Including Some Playoff & Stanley Cup Final Games, HBO Max |url=https://deadline.com/2021/04/turner-looks-to-skate-in-on-nhl-rights-after-nbcuniversal-bails-will-pucks-fly-on-hbo-max-1234744602/ |website=Deadline |access-date=April 27, 2021 |date=April 27, 2021 |archive-date=May 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210518175909/https://deadline.com/2021/04/turner-looks-to-skate-in-on-nhl-rights-after-nbcuniversal-bails-will-pucks-fly-on-hbo-max-1234744602/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
===Expansion===
ESPN set itself apart from its competition by using the top reporters for each of their respective sports by the early 1990s. Some examples included: [[Peter Gammons]] (baseball), [[Chris Mortensen]] (football), [[Al Morganti]] (hockey), [[David Aldridge]] (basketball), and [[Mel Kiper, Jr.]] (NFL Draft). Other well-known reporters include [[Andrea Kremer]], [[Ed Werder]], [[Mark Schwartz]], and [[Greg Garber]].


On August 8, 2023, ESPN and [[Penn Entertainment]] announced a deal to brand Penn's sportsbooks with ESPN branding. Penn's existing Barstool Sportsbook would be rebranded as [[ESPN Bet]] in fall 2023.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Manzo |first1=John R. |title=ESPN to Launch ESPN BET in a New Agreement with PENN Entertainment |url=https://espnpressroom.com/us/press-releases/2023/08/espn-to-launch-espn-bet-in-a-new-agreement-with-penn-entertainment/ |website=ESPN Press Room U.S. |access-date=August 8, 2023 |date=August 8, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Weprin |first1=Alex |title=ESPN Inks $2B Deal for Gambling Venture With Penn Entertainment |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/espn-bet-sportsbook-penn-entertainment-barstool-sold-1235559140/ |website=The Hollywood Reporter |access-date=August 8, 2023 |date=August 8, 2023}}</ref>
The 1990s and early 2000s saw a considerable growth within the company. ESPN Radio launched on New Years Day, 1992.<ref>[http://www.espnmediazone.com/press_kits/ESPN30/ESPN30_Fact_Sheet.html ESPN's 30th Anniversary - Milestones] ESPN MediaZone</ref> [[ESPN2]] was founded in 1993, launched by [[Keith Olbermann]] and [[Suzy Kolber]] with SportsNite. Three years later [[ESPNews]] was born, with [[Mike Tirico]] as the first [[news anchor|anchor]]. In 1997, ESPN purchased Classic Sports Network and renamed it [[ESPN Classic]]. The youngest ESPN network in the USA, [[ESPNU]], began broadcasting on March 4, 2005.


On February 6, 2024, ESPN announced a joint venture with [[Fox Sports (United States)|Fox Sports]] and [[TNT Sports (United States)|TNT Sports]] to offer [[Venu Sports]], including the three organizations' main linear sports channels and associated media rights, beginning in fall 2024.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/06/business/espn-fox-warner-sports-streaming.html|title=Disney, Fox and Warner Bros. Join Forces for Sports Streaming Service|first1=Benjamin|last1=Mullin|first2=Kevin|last2=Draper|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=February 6, 2024|access-date=February 7, 2024}}</ref> Additionally, the company plans to launch a "flagship" standalone streaming offering, including the ESPN and ESPN2 linear channels, in late summer or fall 2025.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2024/02/disney-espn-streaming-launch-date-bob-iger-1235818372/|title=Disney Reveals Timing Of ESPN Stand-Alone Streaming Launch|first=Dade|last=Hayes|work=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|date=February 7, 2024|access-date=February 8, 2024}}</ref>
[[ESPN International]] was started in the early 1990s to take advantage of the growing satellite markets in Asia, Africa, and [[Latin America]]. In Canada, ESPN, Inc. purchased a minority share of [[The Sports Network|TSN]] and [[Réseau des sports|RDS]] (the corporate logos of both networks were redesigned to match the look of ESPN's logo). In 2004, ESPN entered the European market by launching a version of [[ESPN Classic (UK)|ESPN Classic]]. Then in December 2006 it agreed to purchase [[North American Sports Network]], and on February 1, 2009 NASN was re-branded as ESPN America. ''SportsCenter'''s primary three broadcasts on ESPN America each day are at 1am [[North American Eastern Time Zone|ET]] (which re-airs usually until 9am ET), 6pm ET, and 11pm ET.


==Programming==
In 1994, ESPN launched the [[The ESPN Sports Poll]], created by Dr. [[Richard Luker]]. The Sports Poll was the first ongoing national daily study of sports fan activities and interests in the United States. ''Sporting News'' acknowledged the accomplishments of The ESPN Sports Poll and Dr. Luker in 1996.<ref>{{citation|publisher=The Sporting News|date=December 30, 1996}}</ref>
{{main|List of programs broadcast by ESPN|List of ESPN sports broadcasting rights|List of UFC events}}
Alongside its live sports broadcasts, ESPN also airs a variety of sports highlight, talk, and documentary-styled shows. These include:
* ''[[Around the Horn]]'' – Competitive debating between four sports writers across the country
* ''[[College GameDay (basketball TV program)|College GameDay]]'' (basketball) – Weekly [[college basketball]] show airing from the ''[[Saturday Primetime]]'' game of the week site
* ''[[College GameDay (football TV program)|College GameDay]]'' (football) – Weekly college football preview show airing from the site of a major college football game
* ''[[E:60]]'' – An [[investigative journalism|investigative]] [[newsmagazine]] program focusing on American and international sports
* ''[[First Take (talk show)|First Take]]'' – A daily morning talk show with [[Stephen A. Smith]] and [[Molly Qerim]] (moved from ESPN2 on January 3, 2017)
* ''[[Get Up (TV program)|Get Up!]]'' – A daily morning show, focusing on the previous night's game results and the burning sports issues of the day
* ''[[Monday Night Countdown]]'' – Weekly recap show aired on Monday evenings during the [[National Football League|NFL]] season, also serves as the pre-game show for ''[[Monday Night Football]]''
* ''[[Pardon the Interruption]]'' – A daily afternoon talk show where [[Tony Kornheiser]] and [[Michael Wilbon]] debate an array of sports topics
* ''[[SportsCenter]]'' – The flagship program of ESPN, a daily sports news program delivering the latest sports news and highlights
* ''[[Sunday NFL Countdown]]'' – Weekly preview show that airs on Sunday mornings during the NFL season
* ''[[The Pat McAfee Show]]'' – A daily afternoon talk show with news, opinion, and analysis


Many of ESPN's documentary programs (such as ''[[30 for 30]]'' and ''[[Nine for IX]]'') are produced by [[ESPN Films]], a film division created in March 2008 as a restructuring of ESPN Original Entertainment, a programming division that was originally formed in 2001. 30 for 30 started airing in 2009 and continues airing to this day. Each episode is through the eyes of a well known filmmaker and has featured some of the biggest directors in Hollywood.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thetvdb.com/?tab=seasonall&id=128051|title=Welcome - TheTVDB.com|website=thetvdb.com|access-date=March 15, 2020|archive-date=June 17, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200617015710/https://thetvdb.com/?tab=seasonall&id=128051|url-status=live}}</ref> The ''30 for 30'' film ''[[O.J.: Made in America]]'' won the [[Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature]] in [[89th Academy Awards|2017]], the first such Oscar for ESPN.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/18776042/made-america-wins-best-documentary-feature-oscar|title='O.J.: Made In America' wins best documentary feature Oscar|date=February 27, 2017|work=ESPN|access-date=July 1, 2019|archive-date=July 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190701163917/https://www.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/18776042/made-america-wins-best-documentary-feature-oscar|url-status=live}}</ref>
From 1996 onward ESPN was closely integrated with [[ESPN on ABC|ABC Sports]]. That year [[Steve Bornstein]], president of ESPN since 1990, was made president of ABC Sports as well. This integration culminated in the 2006 decision to merge ABC Sports' operations with ESPN. As a result, all of ABC's sports programming now uses [[ESPN on ABC]]. However, ABC Sports is still legally separate from ESPN due to ESPN's joint ownership arrangement with Disney and Hearst.


[[Ultimate Fighting Championship]] signed a five-year contract with ESPN starting 2019<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ufc/2018/05/23/espn-ufc-television-rights-deal/635801002/|title=ESPN wrestles UFC television-rights deal from Fox Sports|website=USA Today|language=en|access-date=January 30, 2019|archive-date=May 23, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180523173016/https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ufc/2018/05/23/espn-ufc-television-rights-deal/635801002/|url-status=live}}</ref> on ESPN and ESPN+ which estimate every quarter 2 event on UFC on ESPN and 6 events on UFC Fight Night on ESPN+.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://mmajunkie.com/2018/11/ufc-announces-2019-first-quarter-schedule-espn-debut|title=UFC announces 2019 first quarter schedule: ESPN debut Jan. 19 in Brooklyn|date=November 4, 2018|website=MMAjunkie|language=en|access-date=January 30, 2019|archive-date=February 13, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190213153751/https://mmajunkie.com/2018/11/ufc-announces-2019-first-quarter-schedule-espn-debut|url-status=live}}</ref>
In 1998, ESPN began using "[[Skycam]]" for their broadcasts of the NHL. The system was later put to use in baseball, basketball, and football games.<ref name=FirstsA />


In March 2019, ESPN announced a new betting-themed daily program, ''Daily Wager'', hosted by the network's gambling analyst Doug Kezirian.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Battaglio |first1=Stephen |title=ESPN launches 'Daily Wager' as sports betting goes showtime |url=https://www.latimes.com/business/hollywood/la-fi-ct-sports-betting-espn-20190311-story.html |website=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=March 11, 2019 |access-date=May 14, 2019 |archive-date=May 13, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190513174356/https://www.latimes.com/business/hollywood/la-fi-ct-sports-betting-espn-20190311-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The program was ESPN's first regularly scheduled program solely dedicated to gaming-related content. On May 14, 2019, ESPN announced a deal with casino operator [[Caesars Entertainment Corporation|Caesars Entertainment]] to establish an ESPN-branded studio at [[The LINQ Hotel & Casino]] in Las Vegas to produce betting-themed content.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Schulz |first1=Bailey |title=ESPN studio coming to The Linq Hotel on Las Vegas Strip |url=https://www.reviewjournal.com/business/casinos-gaming/espn-studio-coming-to-the-linq-hotel-on-las-vegas-strip-1662882/ |website=Las Vegas Review-Journal |access-date=May 14, 2019 |date=May 14, 2019 |archive-date=May 14, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190514163422/https://www.reviewjournal.com/business/casinos-gaming/espn-studio-coming-to-the-linq-hotel-on-las-vegas-strip-1662882/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
In April 2009, ESPN opened a broadcast production facility in downtown Los Angeles as a part of the [[L.A. Live]] complex across from [[Staples Center]]. The five-story facility houses an [[ESPN Zone]] restaurant on the first two floors and two television production studios with digital control rooms on the upper floors. One of the studios hosts late-night editions of ''SportsCenter''.<ref name=LAT121807>Greg Johnson, [http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-espn18dec18,1,2961654.story ESPN is on schedule to land in L.A. in 2009], ''Los Angeles Times'', December 18, 2007.</ref>
In order to help offset the impact of COVID-19 on its business, Walt Disney CEO [[Bob Chapek]] indicated during a 4th quarter fiscal year 2021 earnings conference that the company would increase its presence in online sports betting, including in partnership with third parties.<ref>{{Cite news|author=DIS The Walt Disney Company|title=Walt DisneCompanyny DIS CEO Bob Chapek on Q4 fiscal year 2021 earnings conference call Transcript|newspaper=Seeking Alpha|date=November 10, 2021|url=https://seekingalpha.com/article/4468171-walt-disney-company-dis-ceo-bob-chapek-on-q4-fiscal-year-2021-earnings-conference-call|access-date=January 20, 2022|publisher=Seekingalpha|archive-date=January 18, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220118142623/https://seekingalpha.com/article/4468171-walt-disney-company-dis-ceo-bob-chapek-on-q4-fiscal-year-2021-earnings-conference-call|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|author=Timothy L. O'Brien|title=Disney Builds a New Magic Kingdom in Sports Betting|date=September 23, 2021|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2021-09-23/disney-wants-to-build-sports-gambling-s-future-on-espn|access-date=January 20, 2022|publisher=Bloomberg|archive-date=February 8, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220208074407/https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2021-09-23/disney-wants-to-build-sports-gambling-s-future-on-espn|url-status=live}}</ref>


In 2023, ''[[The Pat McAfee Show]]'' moved to ESPN as part of a five-year $85 million deal. The show replaced the Noon ET airing of ''[[SportsCenter]]'' and ''[[This Just In with Max Kellerman]].''<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lucia|first=Joe|date=August 17, 2023 |title='The Pat McAfee Show' premieres September 7 on ESPN |url=https://awfulannouncing.com/espn/the-pat-mcafee-show-september-7-premiere.html |access-date=August 22, 2023 |website=Awful Announcing}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Marchand|first=Andrew|date=May 31, 2023 |title=Pat McAfee opens up about his $85 million ESPN leap |url=https://nypost.com/2023/05/31/pat-mcafee-opens-up-about-his-85-million-espn-leap/ |access-date=May 31, 2023 |website=[[New York Post]]}}</ref>
In 2007, ESPN signed an agreement with the [[Arena Football League (1987–2008)|Arena Football League]] to broadcast at least one game every week, usually on Monday nights.


==Related channels==
In January 2008, ESPN signed a multi-million dollar contract with professional gaming circuit, [[Major League Gaming|Major League Gaming (MLG)]].
===ESPN on ABC===
{{main|ESPN on ABC}}
Since September 2006, ESPN has been integrated with the sports division of sister broadcast network [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]], with sports events televised on that network airing under the banner [[ESPN on ABC]];<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.espn.com/espn/print?id=2545817&type=story|work=ESPN|title='ESPN on ABC' to debut during college football season|date=August 10, 2006|agency=Associated Press|access-date=July 1, 2019|archive-date=June 17, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200617044041/https://www.espn.com/espn/print?id=2545817&type=story|url-status=live}}</ref> much of ABC's sports coverage since the rebranding has become increasingly limited to secondary coverage of sporting events whose broadcast rights are held by ESPN (such as [[National Basketball Association|NBA]] games, [[National Hockey League|NHL]] games, and the [[X Games]] and its related qualifying events) as well as a limited array of events not broadcast on ESPN (most notably, the [[NBA Finals]]).


===ESPN2===
On August 3, 2009, ESPN [[ESPN (UK TV channel)|began broadcasting]] in the United Kingdom and [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]] for the first time, having been awarded the domestic rights to 46 [[Premier League|Barclays Premier League]] matches for the forthcoming season, and 23 matches each for the following three seasons, due to the cancellation of the Premier League's contract with [[Setanta Sports]] over a missed payment. The deal only affected television rights within the U.K.; international rights (held in the U.S. at the time by [[Fox Soccer Channel]] and [[Setanta Sports North America]]) were not initially affected, but Setanta would later shutter its U.S. operations (most of Setanta's former rights are now held by FSC's spinoff channel [[Fox Soccer Plus]]). Also in the US, ESPN now has rights to at least one Premier League and one [[La Liga]] game a week.<ref>[http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=656557&sec=england&&cc=5901 ESPN snaps up Premier League TV packages], ESPN.com, 22 June 2009</ref>
{{main|ESPN2}}
'''ESPN2''' was launched on October 1, 1993. It carried a broad mix of event coverage from conventional sports—including [[auto racing]], [[college basketball]] and [[National Hockey League|NHL]] hockey—to [[extreme sports]]—such as [[BMX]], [[skateboarding]] and [[motocross]].<ref name="baltimoresun-espn2">{{cite news |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/1993/10/01/whether-you-get-it-or-not-espn2-has-no-tie-to-the-tried-and-true/ |title=Whether you get it or not, ESPN2 has no tie to the tried and true |newspaper=Baltimore Sun |access-date=September 25, 2012 |date=October 1, 1993 |archive-date=October 1, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121001232654/http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1993-10-01/sports/1993274121_1_sportsnight-sportscenter-olbermann |url-status=live }}</ref> The "[[ESPN BottomLine]]", a [[news ticker|ticker]] displaying sports news and scores during all programming that is now used by all of ESPN's networks, originated on ESPN2 in 1995.<ref name="USA">{{cite news| url =https://www.usatoday.com/sports/columnist/hiestand-tv/2008-03-06-hiestand-weekend_N.htm| title =Dedicated staff keeps close watch on ESPN's Bottom Line| work =USA Today| date =March 7, 2008| access-date =March 27, 2008| first =Michael| last =Hiestand| archive-date =April 9, 2008| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20080409132021/http://www.usatoday.com/sports/columnist/hiestand-tv/2008-03-06-hiestand-weekend_N.htm| url-status =live}}</ref> In the late 1990s, ESPN2 was gradually reformatted to serve as a secondary outlet for ESPN's mainstream sports programming.<ref name="Deadspin-last days">{{cite web|title=The Last Days Of ESPN2|url=http://deadspin.com/233272/the-last-days-of-espn2|work=February 1, 2012|date=February 2007 |publisher=Deadspin|access-date=September 26, 2012|archive-date=May 23, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120523192201/http://deadspin.com/233272/the-last-days-of-espn2|url-status=live}}</ref>


===ESPNews===
On January 5, 2010, ESPN announced plans for a new network, [[ESPN 3D]], to premiere on June 11, 2010. The new network will broadcast 85 sporting events in 3D during its first year, including the FIFA World Cup match between South Africa and Mexico and the 2011 BCS National Championship Game. ESPN has been testing 3D broadcasting for more than two years. Additional broadcasts may include up to 25 World Cup matches and the Summer X Games.<ref name=3DMore>[http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=4796555 ESPN 3D to show soccer, football, more] ESPN, January 5, 2010</ref>
{{main|ESPNews}}
'''ESPNews''' is a subscription television network that was launched on November 1, 1996, originally focusing solely on sports news, highlights, and [[press conference]]s. Since August 2010, the network has gradually incorporated encores of ESPN's various sports debate and entertainment shows and video [[simulcast]]s of [[ESPN Radio]] shows, in addition to sports news programming. Since the 2013 cancellation of ''Highlight Express'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Daily/Issues/2013/06/13/Media/ESPN.aspx|title=ESPN Cancels "Highlight Express" And "Unite," While Schwab, Hoenig Among Layoffs|date=June 13, 2013|publisher=Street & Smith's Sports Business Daily|access-date=June 14, 2013|archive-date=June 16, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130616163239/http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Daily/Issues/2013/06/13/Media/ESPN.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref> programming consists mainly of rebroadcasts of ''SportsCenter''. ESPNews also serves as an overflow feed due to programming conflicts caused by sporting events on the other ESPN networks.


===Controversy===
===ESPN Deportes===
{{main|ESPN Deportes}}
{{See also|Criticism of ESPN}}
'''ESPN Deportes''' ({{IPA|es|i.es.piˈen deˈpoɾtes}}, "ESPN Sports") is a subscription television network that was originally launched in July 2001 to provide Spanish simulcasts of certain Major League Baseball telecasts from ESPN. It became a 24-hour sports channel in January 2004.


===ESPNU===
==Ownership history==
{{main|ESPNU}}
As mentioned, William Rasmussen founded the channel. Just before ESPN launched, [[Getty Oil]] Company (later purchased by [[Texaco]], which in turn was acquired by [[Chevron Corporation|Chevron]]) agreed to buy a majority stake in the network.
'''ESPNU''' is a subscription television network that launched on March 4, 2005, that focuses on [[college athletics]] including basketball, football, [[college baseball|baseball]], college swimming, and [[college ice hockey|ice hockey]].


===SEC Network===
In 1984, [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] made a deal with Getty Oil to acquire ESPN. ABC retained an 80% share, and sold 20% to [[Nabisco]]. The Nabisco shares were later sold to [[Hearst Corporation]], which still holds a 20% stake today. In 1986, ABC was purchased for $3.5 billion by [[Capital Cities Communications]]. In 1996, [[The Walt Disney Company]] purchased Capital Cities/ABC for $19 billion and picked up an 80% stake in ESPN at that time. According to an analysis published by ''[[Barron's Magazine|Barron's]]'' magazine in February 2008, ESPN "is probably worth more than 40% of Disney's entire value... based on prevailing cash-flow multiples in the industry."
{{main|SEC Network}}
'''SEC Network''' is a subscription television network that launched on August 14, 2014, focusing on the coverage of sporting events sanctioned by the [[Southeastern Conference]]. Created as a result of a 20-year broadcast partnership between the two entities, the network is a [[joint venture]] between the conference and ESPN Inc., which operates the network.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.secdigitalnetwork.com/NEWS/tabid/473/Article/244762/sec-and-espn-announce-new-tv-network.aspx | title=SEC And ESPN Announce New TV Network | publisher=SEC | date=February 5, 2013 | access-date=September 1, 2013 | archive-date=October 3, 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131003093030/http://www.secdigitalnetwork.com/NEWS/tabid/473/Article/244762/sec-and-espn-announce-new-tv-network.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="secdigitalnetwork1">{{cite web | url=http://www.secdigitalnetwork.com/NEWS/tabid/473/Article/246413/sec-releases-2014-conference-football-schedule.aspx | title=SEC Releases 2014 Conference Football Schedule | publisher=SEC | date=August 21, 2013 | access-date=September 1, 2013 | archive-date=August 23, 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130823181755/http://www.secdigitalnetwork.com/NEWS/tabid/473/Article/246413/sec-releases-2014-conference-football-schedule.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref>


===ACC Network===
Although ESPN has been operated as a Disney subsidiary since 1996, it is still technically a [[joint venture]] between Disney and Hearst.
{{main|ACC Network}}
Launching on August 22, 2019, the '''ACC Network''' is a subscription television network that focuses on the sporting events of the [[Atlantic Coast Conference]] as part of a current agreement extending to the 2036–37 academic term as a joint venture of network operator ESPN Inc. and the ACC.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/25419387/acc-network-set-launch-august-2019|title=ACC Network set to launch in August 2019|work=ESPN.com|access-date=November 30, 2018|language=en|archive-date=January 9, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190109150318/http://www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/25419387/acc-network-set-launch-august-2019|url-status=live}}</ref>


==ESPNHD==
===ESPN+===
{{main|ESPN+}}
[[File:ESPN HD Clr Pos1.PNG|right|140px|thumb|Logo of ESPNHD]]
'''ESPNHD''', launched on March 30, 2003, is a [[720p]] [[High-definition television|high-definition]] [[simulcast]] of ESPN. ESPNHD (along with sister networks [[ESPN2 HD]], [[ESPNU HD]], [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC HD]], [[Disney Channel|Disney Channel HD]], [[ABC Family|ABC Family HD]], and [[Disney XD|Disney XD HD]]) uses the [[720p]] HD line standard because the [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] executives proposed a [[progressive scan|progressive]] 'p' signal that resolves fluid and high speed motion in sports better, particularly during slow motion replays.<ref>[http://hd.espn.com/hd/pdfs/playbook.pdf ESPN HD]</ref>
ESPN+ is an American over-the-top subscription video streaming service available in the United States, owned by the ESPN division of the Walt Disney Company, in partnership with ESPN Inc.


===Other services===
All Bristol and [[L.A. Live]] studio shows, along with most live events on ESPN, are produced in high definition. ESPN is one of the few networks with an all-digital infrastructure. Shows that are recorded elsewhere − such as ''[[Jim Rome Is Burning]]'' ([[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]]) are presented in a standard definition, 4:3 format with [[Pillarbox#Stylized pillarboxing on television|stylized pillarboxes]]. ''Pardon the Interruption'' and ''Around the Horn'' have begun airing in HD on September 27, 2010. <ref> [http://www.tvpredictions.com/newhd092010.htm ESPN Yakkers Go HD Next Week] TVPredictions.com September 20, 2010</ref> ESPN, however, maintains a policy that any video that originates in [[High-definition television|high definition]] must remain in HD when aired on ESPNHD.
;ESPN HD


ESPN launched its [[High-definition television|high definition]] [[simulcast]] feed, originally branded as '''ESPNHD''', on March 30, 2003, with an [[Opening Day]] broadcast of the [[Texas Rangers (baseball)|Texas Rangers]] and [[Anaheim Angels]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espnfrontrow.com/2016/03/on-this-day-in-espn-history-espn-hd-debuts/|title=On This Day in ESPN History: ESPN HD debuts – ESPN Front Row|date=March 30, 2016|access-date=November 8, 2018|archive-date=November 9, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181109070802/https://www.espnfrontrow.com/2016/03/on-this-day-in-espn-history-espn-hd-debuts/|url-status=live}}</ref> All studio shows based in Bristol and at L. A. Live, along with most live event telecasts on ESPN, are broadcast in high definition. ESPN is one of the few television networks with an all-digital infrastructure. Archived non-HD programming is presented in [[4:3]] [[Standard-definition television|standard definition]] with [[Pillarbox#Stylized pillarboxing on television|stylized pillarboxing]]. ''Pardon the Interruption'' and ''Around the Horn'' began airing in HD on September 27, 2010, with the relocation of the production of both shows into the facility housing the [[Washington, D.C.]], bureau for [[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]].<ref>[http://www.tvpredictions.com/newhd092010.htm ESPN Yakkers Go HD Next Week] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100922210429/http://www.tvpredictions.com/newhd092010.htm |date=September 22, 2010 }} TVPredictions.com September 20, 2010.</ref>
More recently, the network has come under considerable scrutiny from industry technicians and early adopters of HD due to a perceived degradation in picture quality, specifically during live events.<ref>[http://www.tvpredictions.com/jwhip091206.htm What's Up With ESPN HD?<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>


ESPN broadcasts HD programming in the [[720p]] resolution format, because ABC executives proposed a [[progressive scan]] signal that resolves fluid and high-speed motion in sports better, particularly during slow-motion replays.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hd.espn.com/hd/pdfs/playbook.pdf|title=The HD Experience|work=ESPN|archive-date=March 9, 2008|access-date=July 5, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080309195610/http://hd.espn.com/hd/pdfs/playbook.pdf}}</ref> The network's Digital Center itself natively holds [[4K resolution|2160p]] [[Ultra-high-definition television|UHD/4K]] operations and equipment.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.tvtechnology.com/news/0002/espn-opens-new-digital-center/270611|title=ESPN Opens New Digital Center|last=Butts|first=Tom|date=May 28, 2014|work=TV Technology|access-date=August 18, 2017|archive-date=August 18, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170818132620/http://www.tvtechnology.com/news/0002/espn-opens-new-digital-center/270611|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.fastcompany.com/3060717/the-technology-behind-espns-digital-transformation|title=The Technology Behind ESPN'S Digital Transformation|last=McCracken|first=Harry|date=June 13, 2016|work=[[Fast Company (magazine)|Fast Company]]|access-date=August 18, 2017|archive-date=August 18, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170818135018/https://www.fastcompany.com/3060717/the-technology-behind-espns-digital-transformation|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2011, ESPNHD began to downplay its distinct promotional logo in preparation for the conversion of its standard definition feed from a [[4:3]] full-screen to a letterboxed format (via the application of the [[Active Format Description|AFD]] #10 display flag), which occurred on June 1 of that year.
In [[Latin America]], the [[720p]] [[High-definition television|high-definition]] version of ESPN was launched as "ESPN HD" on April 28, 2009 (only [[Brazil]]) and on December 1, 2009 in other countries.<ref>[http://ombudscable.blogspot.com/2009/10/espn-hd-en-latinoamerica-partir-1-de.html Espn HD en latinoamerica a partir 1 de diciembre] OMBUDS CABLE - Comunidad de TV para abonados</ref>


; [[WatchESPN]]
==ESPN 3D==
{{Main|ESPN 3D}}
On June 11, 2010, ESPN launched ESPN 3D, United States' first [[3DTV]] channel. The first programming in the format was the [[2010 World Cup]]. ESPN states another 100 live events will be in 3D in the first year.<ref>[http://www.multichannel.com/article/453022-3DTV_2010_Event_Bratches_Bullish_on_ESPN_3D_Uptake.php 3DTV 2010 Event: Bratches Bullish on ESPN 3D Uptake]</ref>


WatchESPN was a website for [[desktop computer]]s, as well as an [[Mobile app|application]] for [[smartphone]]s and [[tablet computer]]s that allowed subscribers of participating pay-TV providers to watch live streams of programming from ESPN and its sister networks (except for ESPN Classic), including most sporting events, on computers, mobile devices, [[Apple TV]], [[Roku]] and [[Xbox Live]] via their [[TV Everywhere]] login provided by their cable provider. The service originally launched on October 25, 2010, as ESPN Networks, a streaming service that provided a live stream of ESPN exclusive to [[Time Warner Cable]] subscribers.<ref name="Phillips1">{{cite web|last=Phillips|first=Amy|title=Time Warner Cable Customers Can Now Watch ESPN and ESPN3.com On Their Computer|url=http://espnmediazone.com/us/press-releases/2010/10/twc-espn-online/|publisher=[[ESPN Inc.]]|access-date=September 6, 2012|date=October 22, 2010|archive-date=November 5, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105053915/http://espnmediazone.com/us/press-releases/2010/10/twc-espn-online/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[ESPN3]], an online streaming service providing live streams and replays of global sports events that launched in 2005 as a separate website,<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Roberts|first1=Daniel|title=ESPN's secret web weapon: ESPN3|url=http://fortune.com/2014/01/22/espns-secret-web-weapon-espn3/|access-date=August 20, 2014|magazine=[[Fortune (magazine)|Fortune]]|date=January 22, 2014|archive-date=August 21, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140821230030/http://fortune.com/2014/01/22/espns-secret-web-weapon-espn3/|url-status=live}}</ref> was incorporated into the WatchESPN platform on August 31, 2011.<ref name="Nagle">{{cite web|last=Nagle|first=Dave|title=ESPN, Inc.: 2011 in Review|url=http://espnmediazone.com/us/press-releases/2012/01/espn-inc-2011-in-review/|publisher=[[ESPN Inc.]]|access-date=September 6, 2012|date=January 6, 2012|archive-date=November 5, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105052813/http://espnmediazone.com/us/press-releases/2012/01/espn-inc-2011-in-review/|url-status=live}}</ref> Likewise, [[ESPN+]] was launched in April 2018 as an add-on subscription for $4.99 per month.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2018/4/2/17188752/espn-plus-launching-april-12th-pricing-features-content|title=ESPN+ will launch on April 12th for $4.99 per month|date=April 2, 2018|access-date=October 3, 2018|archive-date=June 26, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180626030157/https://www.theverge.com/2018/4/2/17188752/espn-plus-launching-april-12th-pricing-features-content|url-status=live}}</ref> On June 1, 2019, WatchESPN was discontinued with the service's full merger into the ESPN app.{{Citation needed|date=June 2022}}
==Executives==
*[[George Bodenheimer]]: President, ESPN, Inc.<ref>{{cite web | title=The Walt Disney Company - George W. Bodenheimer Executive Biography | url=http://corporate.disney.go.com/corporate/bios/george_bodenheimer.html | publisher=The Walt Disney Company | accessdate=April 7, 2007}}</ref>
*Sean Bratches: Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing<ref>{{cite web | title= SEAN R. H. BRATCHES Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing | url=http://media.espn.com/MediaZone/bios/executives/BratchesSean.htm | work=ESPN | accessdate=April 7, 2007}}</ref>
*Christine Driessen: Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer<ref>{{cite web | title=CHRISTINE F. DRIESSEN Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer |url=http://media.espn.com/MediaZone/bios/executives/DriessenChris.html | work=ESPN | accessdate=April 7, 2007}}</ref>
*Sean Fleming: Executive Vice President, Administration<ref>{{cite web | title=EDWIN M. DURSO Executive Vice President, Administration |url=http://media.espn.com/MediaZone/bios/executives/DursoEdwin.htm | work=ESPN | accessdate=April 7, 2007}}</ref>
*Charles Pagano: Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer<ref>{{cite web | title=CHUCK PAGANO Executive Vice President, Technology | url=http://media.espn.com/MediaZone/bios/executives/PaganoChuck.htm | work=ESPN | accessdate=April 7, 2007}}</ref>
*John Skipper: Executive Vice President, Content<ref>{{cite web | title= JOHN SKIPPER Executive Vice President, Content | url=http://media.espn.com/MediaZone/bios/executives/SkipperJohn.html | work=ESPN | accessdate=April 7, 2007}}</ref>
*[[Norby Williamson]]: Executive Vice President, Studio and Remote Production<ref>{{cite web | title= NORBY WILLIAMSON Executive Vice President, Studio and Remote Production | url=http://media.espn.com/MediaZone/bios/executives/WilliamsonNorby.htm | work=ESPN | accessdate=April 7, 2007}}</ref>
*Russell Wolff: Executive Vice President and Managing Director, ESPN International<ref>{{cite web | title= RUSSELL WOLFF Executive Vice President and Managing Director, ESPN International | url=http://media.espn.com/MediaZone/bios/executives/WolffRussell.htm | work=ESPN | accessdate=April 7, 2007}}</ref>


; [[ESPN Events]]
==Advertising on ESPN==
Advertising on ESPN is sold out for months in advance. Major advertisers such as [[Apple Inc.|Apple]], [[FedEx]], and [[United Parcel Service]] are continually buying advertisements to reach the 15-35 year old male audience. ESPN's ad revenue averages $441.8 million with an ad rate of $9,446 per 30 second slot.<ref name="ESPN Inc"/>


ESPN Regional Television (formerly branded as ESPN Plus) is the network's [[broadcast syndication|syndication]] arm, which produces collegiate sporting events for free-to-air television stations throughout the United States (primarily those affiliated with networks such as [[The CW]] and [[MyNetworkTV]] or [[Independent station (North America)|independent stations]]). ESPN Plus syndicates college football and basketball games from the [[American Athletic Conference]], [[Big 12 Conference]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.big12sports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=10410&ATCLID=1523043|title=Men抯 Basketball Television FAQ|work=Big12Sports.com|access-date=August 29, 2014|archive-date=September 3, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140903060657/http://www.big12sports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=10410&ATCLID=1523043|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Mid-American Conference]], [[Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference]], [[Sun Belt Conference]] and the [[Western Athletic Conference]].{{Citation needed|date=June 2022}}
==ESPN significant programming rights==
ESPN and its family of networks ([[ESPN on ABC]], [[ESPN2]], [[ESPNU]], [[ESPN Plus]] and to a lesser extent [[ESPN Classic]]) have rights to the following sports and events (note: this list doesn't represent [[ESPN America]] since that division of ESPN broadcasts outside of the USA):


; ESPN on [[Snapchat]]
[[NFL]]
*1987&ndash;1989 ([[ESPN Sunday Night Football|Sunday Night]]; exclusive cable; second half of season only)
*1990&ndash;1997 ([[ESPN Sunday Night Football|Sunday Night]]; second half of season only; [[Turner Network Television|TNT]] carried first half)
*1998&ndash;2005 ([[ESPN Sunday Night Football|Sunday Night]]; exclusive cable; entire season, selected Thursday & Saturday night games)
*1988&ndash;1994, 2003&ndash;2005, 2010 ([[Pro Bowl]], acquired rights from ABC)
*2006&ndash;2013 (''[[Monday Night Football]]'')


ESPN distributes various content on [[Snapchat]] Discover, including a Snapchat-only version of ''[[SportsCenter]]''.{{Citation needed|date=June 2022}}
[[ESPN College Football]]
*[[Bowl game|Bowl Games]]: 1982&ndash;present (contracts with individual bowl games; the first live college football game telecast on ESPN was the 1982 [[Independence Bowl]], Kansas St. vs. Wisconsin)
*[[Bowl Championship Series]]: January 2011&ndash;2014
*[[Atlantic Coast Conference|ACC]]: 1998&ndash;2022 <ref name=acc>[http://www.multichannel.com/article/454572-ESPN_ACC_Connect_On_1_9_Billion_Rights_Deal.php ESPN, ACC Connect On $1.9 Billion Rights Deal] ''Multichannel News'' July 8, 2010</ref>
*[[Big Ten Conference]]: 1979&ndash;2013 (originally tape delayed)
*[[Big 12 Conference|Big 12]]: 2007&ndash; (?) (Games are purchased from [[Fox Sports Net]] on a game-by-game basis)
*[[Big East Conference|Big East]]: 1991&ndash;2013
*[[Conference USA|C-USA]]: 1995&ndash;2010
*[[Mid-American Conference|MAC]]: 2003&ndash;2010
*[[Pacific-10 Conference|Pac-10]]: 2007&ndash; (?) (Games are purchased from [[Fox Sports Net]] on a game-by-game basis)
*[[Southeastern Conference|SEC]]: 1984-2023
*[[Sun Belt Conference|Sun Belt]]: (?) &ndash;2007
*[[Western Athletic Conference|WAC]]: (?) &ndash;2017
*[[NCAA]] [[Division I FCS]] (formerly Division I-AA), [[Division II (NCAA)|Division II]], and [[Division III (NCAA)|Division III]] playoffs (selected games) and championship games.


[[ESPN Major League Soccer]]
; [[ESPN MVP]]
*1996&ndash;2014


ESPN MVP (initially known as Mobile ESPN) was a 2005 attempt at operating a [[mobile virtual network operator]] with exclusive mobile content, first as a phone feature, then after its termination into a [[Verizon Wireless]] paid service. Technologies developed for it have since been transferred to the network's successful mobile strategy in the [[smartphone]] era.{{Citation needed|date=June 2022}}
[[List of FIFA World Cup broadcasters|FIFA]]
*[[FIFA World Cup]]: 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014
*[[FIFA U-17 World Cup]]: 2007
*[[FIFA U-20 World Cup]]: 2007
*[[FIFA Women's World Cup]]: 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011
*[[FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup]]: 2008, 2010


===Former services===
[[ESPN Major League Baseball]]
; ESPN Classic
*1990&ndash;2013
{{main|ESPN Classic}}
'''ESPN Classic''' was a subscription television network that launched in 1995 as Classic Sports Network, founded by [[Brian Bedol]] and Steve Greenberg. ESPN Inc. purchased Classic Sports Network in 1997 for $175 million,<ref>{{cite news|first=David |last=Whitford |title=The king of the sports deal |date=May 25, 2010 |url=https://money.cnn.com/2010/05/10/news/companies/greenberg_sports_deal_king.fortune/ |work=[[Fortune (magazine)|Fortune]] |access-date=June 2, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100522034442/https://money.cnn.com/2010/05/10/news/companies/greenberg_sports_deal_king.fortune/ |archive-date=May 22, 2010}}</ref> rebranding the channel as "ESPN Classic" in 1998. The channel broadcast notable archived sporting events (originally including events from earlier decades, but later focusing mainly on events from the 1990s and later), as well as sports documentaries and sports-themed movies. It was discontinued on December 31, 2021.


;Longhorn Network
[[Little League World Series]]
{{main|Longhorn Network}}
*1985<ref>{{cite web | title=Little League Chronology | url=http://www.littleleague.org/media/newsarchive/05_2004/04emmyaward.htm| publisher=Little League Online | accessdate=April 7, 2007}} [[ESPN2]] broadcasts started in 1997.</ref>&ndash;2014
The '''Longhorn Network''' was a subscription television network that launched on August 26, 2011, focusing on events from the [[Texas Longhorns]] varsity sports teams of the [[University of Texas at Austin]].<ref>{{cite web|title=ESPN and University of Texas unveil 'Longhorn Network' name and logo|url=http://www.texassports.com/genrel/040311aaa.html|work=TexasSports.com|date=April 3, 2011|access-date=August 29, 2014|archive-date=May 22, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130522232013/http://www.texassports.com/genrel/040311aaa.html|url-status=live}}</ref> It features events from the 20 sports sanctioned by the Texas athletic department, along with original programming (including historical, academic and cultural content). It was discontinued on June 30, 2024, a day before the Longhorns' move to the [[Southeastern Conference]].


==International channels==
[[NBA on ESPN]]
{{main|ESPN International}}
*1982&ndash;1984
*2002&ndash;2016


ESPN owns and operates regional channels in Brazil, [[Caribbean]], [[Latin America]], Netherlands, [[Oceania]] and [[Sub-Saharan Africa]]. In Canada, ESPN is a minority owner of [[The Sports Network]] (TSN) and the French-language [[Réseau des sports]] (RDS). ESPN also has a minority stake in [[J Sports]] in Japan.
[[WNBA on ESPN]]
*2002&ndash;2016


==ESPN Bet==
[[College basketball on ESPN]]
{{main|ESPN Bet}}
*[[NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship|NCAA Tournament]]: 1980&ndash;1990 (Contract with [[NCAA]])
ESPN moved into the [[sports betting]] scene in November 2023 with plans to launch their sportsbook app "ESPN Bet" on November 14.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Manzo |first=John R. |date=August 8, 2023 |title=ESPN to Launch ESPN BET in a New Agreement with PENN Entertainment |url=https://espnpressroom.com/us/press-releases/2023/08/espn-to-launch-espn-bet-in-a-new-agreement-with-penn-entertainment/ |access-date=November 2, 2023 |website=ESPN Press Room U.S. |language=en-US}}</ref> In a partnership with Penn Entertainment, ESPN Bet began in 17 states.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kelley |first=Zachary |date=November 2, 2023 |title=PENN Announces ESPN BET Launch on November 14 in 17 States |url=https://www.legalsportsbetting.com/news/penn-announces-espn-bet-launch-on-november-14-in-17-states-11-02-2023/ |access-date=November 2, 2023 |website=LegalSportsBetting.com |language=en-US}}</ref> Once live, ESPN featured betting odds from their own sportsbook on their content.
*[[Atlantic Coast Conference|ACC]] (some telecasts, including games in the conference tournament, are blacked out in ACC markets): until 2023 <ref name=acc/>
*[[Big Ten Conference]]: 1979&ndash;2017
*[[Big 12 Conference|Big 12]]: 2008&ndash;2016, ESPN Plus (ESPN Plus has exclusive rights to some games in Big 12 markets to protect stations purchasing its syndicated package)
*[[Big East Conference|Big East]]: 1979&ndash;2013, ESPN Plus


==Criticism==
[[Grand Slam (tennis)|Tennis Grand Slams]]: As of 2009 ESPN co-owns the cable rights to all four of tennis' grand slams with [[The Tennis Channel]]. ESPN also televises other tennis events.
{{Main|Criticism of ESPN}}
*[[Australian Open]]
ESPN has been criticized for focusing too much on men's college and professional sports (particularly the NBA and NFL), and very little on women's sports or extreme sports.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The ESPN effect: exploring the worldwide leader in sports|last=Lavelle|first=Katherine L|others=McGuire, John, 1961–, Armfield, Greg G.; Earnheardt, Adam C., 1970–|year=2015|isbn=978-1-4331-2600-0|location=New York|chapter=Chapter 10 The ESPN Effect Representation of Women in 30 for 30 Films|oclc=917889678}}</ref> [[Baseball]], [[ice hockey]], and [[association football|soccer]] fans have also criticized ESPN for not giving their respective sports more coverage.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/hockey/ct-espn-hockey-coverage-stanley-cup-playoffs-20170427-story.html|title=ESPN just gutted its hockey coverage in the middle of the Stanley Cup playoffs|first=Dan|last=Steinberg|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|access-date=April 17, 2020|archive-date=December 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201203055736/https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/hockey/ct-espn-hockey-coverage-stanley-cup-playoffs-20170427-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://worldsoccertalk.com/2018/04/10/espn-another-smack-face-soccer-fans/|title=ESPN+ is another smack in the face for soccer fans – World Soccer Talk|date=April 10, 2018|access-date=June 28, 2018|archive-date=June 28, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180628072706/http://worldsoccertalk.com/2018/04/10/espn-another-smack-face-soccer-fans/|url-status=live}}</ref> Other criticism has focused on ethnicity in ESPN's varying mediated forms, as well as carriage fees and issues regarding the exportation of ESPN content.<ref name="afterword">{{cite book |last=Earnheardt |first=Adam C. |editor-last1=McGuire |editor-first1=John |editor-last2=Armfield |editor-first2=Greg |editor-last3=Earnheardt |editor-first3=Adam C. |title=The ESPN Effect: Exploring the Worldwide Leader in Sports |publisher=Peter Lang |date=July 17, 2015 |pages=265–270 |chapter=Chapter 20 Afterword: Challenging the Worldwide Leader in Sports | location = New York | isbn=978-1-4331-2600-0}}</ref> Some critics argue that ESPN's success is their ability to provide other enterprise and investigative sports news while competing with other hard sports-news-producing outlets such as [[Yahoo! Sports]] and [[Fox Sports]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2012/11/09/why-espn-is-the-worlds-most-valuable-media-property-and-worth-40-billion/#62fb79856527|title=Why ESPN Is Worth $40 Billion As The World's Most Valuable Media Property|last=Badenhausen|first=Kurt|date=November 9, 2012|website=Forbes|access-date=February 23, 2018|archive-date=February 24, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180224115004/https://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2012/11/09/why-espn-is-the-worlds-most-valuable-media-property-and-worth-40-billion/#62fb79856527|url-status=live}}</ref> Some scholars have challenged ESPN's journalistic integrity, calling for an expanded standard of professionalism to prevent biased coverage and conflicts of interest.<ref name="ethics">{{cite journal |last1=Oates |first1=T. P. |last2=Pauly |first2=J. |date=2007 |title=Sports journalism as moral and ethical discourse |journal=Journal of Mass Media Ethics |volume=22 |issue=4 |pages=332–347 |doi=10.1080/08900520701583628 |s2cid=143559022 |url=https://epublications.marquette.edu/comm_fac/172 |access-date=December 28, 2022 |archive-date=January 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230130190519/https://epublications.marquette.edu/comm_fac/172/ |url-status=live |issn=0890-0523}}</ref>
*[[French Open]]
*[[The Championships, Wimbledon]]
*[[US Open (tennis)|US Open]]


On October 8, 2019, ''[[Deadspin]]'' reported that an internal memo was sent to ESPN employees instructing them to avoid any political discussions regarding the [[People's Republic of China]] and [[Hong Kong]] in the aftermath of a tweet by [[Houston Rockets]] general manager [[Daryl Morey]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://deadspin.com/internal-memo-espn-forbids-discussion-of-chinese-polit-1838881032|title=Internal Memo: ESPN Forbids Discussion Of Chinese Politics When Discussing Daryl Morey's Tweet About Chinese Politics|website=Deadspin|date=October 8, 2019 |access-date=October 8, 2019|archive-date=October 13, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191013012937/https://deadspin.com/internal-memo-espn-forbids-discussion-of-chinese-polit-1838881032|url-status=live}}</ref>
[[PGA Tour on ESPN]]
*1980&ndash;present


== Awards ==
LPGA Tour on ESPN
{{Expand section|date=March 2022}}
*1979&ndash;present


* National Hispanic Media Coalition's "Outstanding Commitment and Outreach to the Latino Community", 2016<ref>{{Cite web|title=Pasadena-Based National Hispanic Media Coalition Honors Positive Portrayals of Latinos in Media – Pasadena Now|url=https://www.pasadenanow.com/main/pasadena-based-national-hispanic-media-coalition/|access-date=August 4, 2021|website=www.pasadenanow.com|archive-date=August 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210804063723/https://www.pasadenanow.com/main/pasadena-based-national-hispanic-media-coalition/|url-status=live}}</ref>
Champions Tour on ESPN
*1995&ndash;present


ESPN has won 232 Sports Emmy Awards in 35 years of eligibility.
[[PBA Tour]]
<ref>{{Cite web
*2000&ndash;present
|last=Dwornik
|first=Ardi
|title=ESPN Wins 11 Sports Emmy Awards to Again Lead Industry
|website=ESPN Press Room
|publisher=ESPN
|date=May 11, 2022
|url=https://espnpressroom.com/us/press-releases/2022/05/espn-wins-11-sports-emmy-awards-to-again-lead-industry/
|access-date=March 16, 2024
}}</ref> In 2024, ESPN apologized for submitting fake names for Sports Emmy award consideration over many years, and returned 37 trophies that had been awarded to ineligible recipients to the [[National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences]].<ref>{{cite magazine | last=Casselberry | first=Ian | title=ESPN Apologizes for Decades-Long Emmy Awards Scheme | magazine=Sports Illustrated | date=January 12, 2024 | url=https://www.si.com/media/2024/01/12/espn-apologizes-for-decades-long-emmy-awards-scheme | language=en-us | access-date=January 12, 2024}}</ref>


==See also==
[[NASCAR on ESPN]]
*1981<sup></sup>&ndash;2000 (Contracts with individual races)
*2001&ndash;2002 (Contract with NASCAR, [[Camping World Truck Series|Truck Series]] only)
*2007&ndash;2014 (Contract with NASCAR)

[[NHRA]]
*1980<sup>(?)</sup>&ndash;2000 (Contracts with individual races)
*2001&ndash;2013 (Contract with NHRA)

[[German Bundesliga]]

*?-2012. GolTV will usually air 2 matches each round. 2 matches each round have been sublicensed to ESPN, Inc. for Spanish-language telecast on ESPN Deportes and Internet streaming at ESPN3.com. GolTV and ESPN, Inc. alternates picks each round, with one company having picks 1 and 4 and the other company having picks 2 and 3.

[[La Liga]]
*2009-

[[Premier League]]
*2009-

[[Australian Football League]]
*2009-2011

Thoroughbred Racing on ESPN
*?-present

ESPN may sometimes acquire the rights to programming in other sports which airs only via Internet streaming on [[ESPN3]], usually because another broadcaster holds the TV rights.

===Former rights===

[[IndyCar Series|Indy Racing League]]
*1996&ndash;2007 (ESPN continues to produce the broadcasts of five races that air on ABC, including the [[Indianapolis 500]].)

[[Champ Car World Series|Champ Car World Series on ESPN]]
*1980&ndash;2001
*2007 (series merged with IRL, beginning with the 2008 season)

[[ESPN National Hockey Night]]
*1985&ndash;1988 (National television deal, agreements with individual clubs as early as 1979)
*1992&ndash;2004

[[Major Soccer League|Major Indoor Soccer League]]
*1985&ndash;1987
*2005&ndash;2006 (championship games only)

[[UEFA Champions League]]
*1995-2009

[[The Arena Football League on ESPN]]
*1989&ndash;2002
*2007&ndash;2008 (contract was scheduled to end in 2011 but was broken due to the AFL's bankruptcy)

==ESPN in popular culture==
ESPN has become a part of popular culture since its inception. Many movies with a general sports theme will include ESPN announcers and programming into their storylines (such as in ''[[Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story]]'', which gently lampoons the channel's multiple outlets by referencing the as-yet-nonexistent ESPN8, "The Ocho,"<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,613698,00.html |title=Movie Preview: Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story |accessdate=July 30, 2008 |publisher=Entertainment Weekly |date=April 21, 2004}}</ref> a reference to a nickname formerly used for ESPN2, "the Deuce"). In the film ''[[The Waterboy]]'', [[Adam Sandler]]'s character Bobby Boucher has his college football accomplishments tracked through several fictional "SportsCenter" newscasts including the "Bourbon Bowl." Also, ESPN.com Page 2 columnist [[Bill Simmons]] often jokes that he is looking forward to running a future network; ''SportsCenter'' anchors appeared as themselves in [[music video]]s by Brad Paisley (''[[I'm Gonna Miss Her (The Fishin' Song)]]'') and [[Hootie and the Blowfish]] (''Only Wanna Be With You''); and the 1998 TV series ''[[Sports Night]]'' was based on an ESPN-style network and its titular, ''SportsCenter''-analogue flagship sports results program. Also, in the deleted scenes from the Anchorman film, Ron Burgundy is fictitiously interviewed for a position on sportscenter in which he claims that the idea (of a 24 hour sports network) will never become popular.

Many jokes have been made by comedians about fake obscure sports that are shown on ESPN before the network was able to land major sports programming packages. [[Dennis Miller]] mentioned watching "[[sumo]] [[rodeo]]," while [[George Carlin]] stated that ESPN showed "Australian dick wrestling." One of several ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' sketches poking fun at the network features ESPN2 airing a show called ''Scottish Soccer Hooligan Weekly,'' which includes a fake advertisement for "Senior Women's Beach Lacrosse." ''SNL'' also parodies [[ESPN Classic]] with fake archived obscure women's sportscasts from the 1980s such as bowling, weight lifting and curling, with announcers who know nothing about the sport, and instead focus on the sponsors which are always women's hygiene products. In the early years of ESPN, ''[[Late Night with David Letterman]]'' even featured a "Top Ten List" poking fun at some of the obscure sports seen on ESPN at the time. One of the more memorable sports on the list was "Amish Rake Fighting."

A common joke in comedic television and film involves people getting ESP (an abbreviation for [[Extrasensory Perception]], and an irony considering ESPN was initially supposed to be named "ESP") confused with ESPN, often including someone saying something along the lines of "I know these kind of things, I've got ESPN". Electronic Arts in the early 1990s used to have a faux sports network logo on their sports games called EASN (Electronic Arts Sports Network), but soon changed to EA Sports after ESPN requested that they stop using it. There are at least 22 children named after the network.<ref>[http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/15168029/ Parents name baby after ESPN, Joe Montana], NBC Sports, October 9, 2006</ref><ref name="names">{{cite news|url= http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=1829996|publisher=ESPN|title=Texas toddler at least third named ESPN|date=June 16, 2006}}</ref><ref name="">{{cite web
|url=http://usatoday.com/sports/columnist/hiestand-tv/2006-02-07-hiestand-lampley_x.htm
|title=Lampley nearing most-called Olympics
|accessdate=June 9, 2008
|last=Hiestand
|first=Michael
|date=February 7, 2006
|publisher=USA Today
|quote=ESPN says it's heard of at least 22 babies named ESPN}}</ref>

==ESPN business ventures==
===Current===
*[[ESPN.com]] (1995&ndash;present)
* [[ESPN Star Sports]] <ref>[http://www.ESPNSTAR.com ESPNStar.com]</ref> (2002&ndash;present)
*[[ESPNU|ESPNU.com]] (2005&ndash;present)
*[[The ESPN Sports Poll]] (1994&ndash;present)
*[[ESPN The Magazine]] (1998&ndash;present)
*[[ESPN Deportes La Revista]] (2005&ndash;present)
*[[ESPN Original Entertainment]] (2001&ndash;present)
*[[ESPN Books]] (2004&ndash;present)
*[[ESPN MVP]] (2006&ndash;present, 2006&ndash;2007 as Mobile ESPN)
*[[ESPN Zone]] (1998&ndash;present)
*[[ESPY Awards]] (1993&ndash;present)
*[[ESPN Integration]] (2006&ndash;present)
*[[ESPN Online Games]] (2006&ndash;present)
*[[ESPN Broadband]] (2002&ndash;present)

*Partial interest in the [[Arena Football League (1987–2008)|Arena Football League]] (2006&ndash;2009, in exchange for television rights).

==The ESPN family of networks==
===Television===
*ESPN (1979&ndash;present)
*[[ESPN International]] (1989&ndash;present)
*[[ESPN2]] (1993&ndash;present)
*[[ESPN Brasil]] (1995&ndash;present)
*[[ESPNews]] (1996&ndash;present)
*[[ESPNews#ESPNews HD|ESPNews HD]] (2008&ndash;present)
*[[ESPN Classic]] (1997&ndash;present)
*[[ESPN Classic (Canada)]] (2001&ndash;present)
*[[ESPNHD]] (2003&ndash;present)
*[[ESPN Deportes]] (2004&ndash;present)
*[[ESPNU]] (2005&ndash;present)
*[[ESPN2HD]] (2005&ndash;present)
*[[ESPN on ABC]] (2006&ndash;present, replacing ABC Sports)
*[[ESPN Plus]] (&ndash;present)
*[[ESPN PPV]] (1999&ndash;present, 1999&ndash;2001 as the original ESPN Extra)
*[[ESPN Australia]] (1995&ndash;present)
*[[ESPN Star Sports]] (1995&ndash;present)
*[[ESPN America]] (2002–present)
*[[ESPN Latin America]] (1989–present)
*[[ESPN (UK TV channel)|ESPN (UK)]] (2009–present)
*[[The Sports Network|TSN (Canada)]] (1984–present, ESPN owns 20%)
*[[ESPN 3D]] (June 2010-present)<ref name=3DMore />
*[[ESPN Goal Line]] (September 2010-present)

====ESPN Now====
{{Infobox TV channel|
name = ESPN Now|
owner = [[The Walt Disney Company]] (80%)<br>[[Hearst Corporation]] (20%)|
country = United States|
language = English|
website = [http://espn.go.com/tvlistings/networks/espnnow.html ESPN Now]|
picture format = [[480i]] ([[SDTV]])|
}}

'''ESPN Now''' was a former rolling [[digital cable]] [[barker channel]] which aired from 2001–2004 and featured a scoring ticker, along with ESPN and [[Go.com]] promotional advertising. It mainly was used to promote ESPN's college sports [[pay per view]] packages to viewers. The channel was eventually discontinued with the rise of [[video on demand]].

===Internet===
*[[ESPN Broadband#ESPN Motion|ESPN Motion]] (2003&ndash;present)
*[[ESPN3]] (2005&ndash;present), was ESPN360.com from 2005–2010
*[[ESPN.com]]
*[http://www.espn.mobi/ ESPN.mobi]
*[http://www.espndeportes.com/ ESPNdeportes.com]
*[http://www.espn.com.br/ ESPN.com in Portuguese for Brazil]
*[[ESPNsoccernet|Soccernet]]
*[[Cricinfo]]
*[http://www.scrum.com/ Scrum.com]
*[http://expn.go.com EXPN.com]
*[http://sportscenter.com SportsCenter.com]
*[http://www.espnchicago.com ESPNChicago.com]
*[http://www.espnamerica.com/ ESPNAmerica.com]
*[http://espn.go.com/boston/ ESPNBoston.com]
*[http://espn.go.com/dallas/ ESPNDallas.com]
*[http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/ ESPNLosAngeles.com]
*[http://espn.go.com/new-york/ ESPNNewYork.com]
*[http://espnf1.com/ ESPNF1.com]

===Radio===
*[[ESPN Radio]] (1992&ndash;present)
*[[ESPN Deportes Radio]] (2005&ndash;present)
*[[ESPN Xtra]] (2008&ndash;present)
*Rádio Eldorado ESPN (2007&ndash;present)
* El Radio de esquita deportes de las noche) (1976&ndash;present)
*[[KESN]] (FM 103.3, Dallas-Fort Worth)
*[[KSPN]] (AM 710, Los Angeles)
*[[WEAE]] (AM 1250, Pittsburgh, PA)
*[[WEPN]] (AM 1050, New York City)
*[[WMVP]] (AM 1000, Chicago)

==Network-wide preemption==
Several times ESPN programming has been drastically altered because of coverage of world events.

Both ESPN and ESPN2 carried [[ABC News]] coverage of the [[September 11 attacks|September 11, 2001 attacks]]. The only original program produced after the preemption was a shortened 6pm edition of ''SportsCenter'' which focused on covering the cancellations of sporting events in reaction to the terror attacks.

ESPN carried most of the first round of the [[2003 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament|2003 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament]] due to [[CBS News]]'s coverage of the [[invasion of Iraq]]. The games were still produced by CBS and distributed to the correct markets through cable companies. The only ESPN identifier was the bottomline graphic, which ran throughout the entire telecast.

== See also ==
{{Div col}}
* [[List of programs broadcast by ESPN]]
* [[List of ESPN personalities]]
* [[List of ESPN personalities]]
* [[List of past ESPN personalities]]
*''[[SportsCenter]]''
* [[ESPN GamePlan]]
* [[ESPN on ABC]]
* [[ESPN Full Court]]
* [[ESPN2]]
* [[ESPN Australia]]
* [[ESPN+]]
* [[ESPN Full Circle]]
* [[ESPN Films]]
* [[Maxx Zoom]]
*''[[ESPN Major League Baseball]]''
*''[[ESPN2 Major League Soccer]]''
*''[[NASCAR on ESPN]]''
*''[[WNBA on ESPN]]''
*''[[The NBA on ESPN]]''
* [[ESPN College Basketball Broadcast Teams]]
* [[ESPN College Football Broadcast Teams]]
* [[ESPN MLB Broadcast Teams]]
* [[ESPN NBA Broadcast Teams]]
* [[ESPN MLS/Soccer Broadcast Teams]] ([[FIFA World Cup]] Included)
* [[List of assets owned by Disney]]
* [[List of assets owned by Hearst Corporation]]
* [[Réseau des sports]]
* [[The Sports Network]] (Canadian counterpart of ESPN)
* [[Dish Network Channel Grid]]
* [[List of DirecTV channels]]
* [[Wieden+Kennedy]]
* [[Wieden+Kennedy]]
{{Div col end}}


==Notes==
==References==
{{Reflist|2}}
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book|editor-last1=McGuire |editor-first1=John |editor-last2=Armfield |editor-first2=Greg G. |editor-last3=Earnheardt |editor-first3=Adam C.|title=The ESPN Effect: The Making of a Sports Media Empire|publisher=Peter Lang|year=2015 | location = New York | isbn=978-1-4331-2600-0}}
* {{cite book|last1=Miller |first1=James Andrew |last2=Shales |first2=Tom |title=Those Guys Have All the Fun: Inside the World of ESPN|publisher=Little, Brown and Company|year=2011 | location = New York | isbn=978-0-316-04300-7}}
* {{cite book|first=Travis |last=Vogan|title=ESPN: The Making of a Sports Media Empire|publisher=University of Illinois Press|year=2015 | location = Urbana | isbn=978-0-252-03976-8}}
{{refend}}


==External links==
==External links==
{{commons category}}
* [http://www.espn.com ESPN.com] Official Site
* {{Official website|https://www.espn.com/}}
* [http://ESPN.mobi ESPN.mobi] Official Mobile Site
* [http://videos.espn.com/ ESPN Video Archive] Official ESPN Video Archive
* [http://www.espn.com.ar/ ESPN Argentina]
* [http://www.espn.com.br/ ESPN Brasil]
* [http://www.espn.co.uk/ ESPN UK]
* [http://www.espnstar.com/ ESPN STAR Sports (Asia)]
* [http://www.espnfanzone.com ESPN Fan Zone] (Official ESPN Research via Surveys and Forums)
* [http://www.yourSportsStory.com yourSportsStory] (Sports Written by Fans for Fans)
* [http://www.worldsportslounge.boostcast.com WorldSport Video Site]


<!--spacing, please do not remove-->

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{{Disney}}
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Latest revision as of 16:01, 23 December 2024

This article is about the U.S. television channel. For the company and other channels of the same name, see ESPN Inc. For the railroad, see East Penn Railroad. For the gene, see ESPN (gene).

ESPN
CountryUnited States
HeadquartersBristol, Connecticut
Programming
Language(s)English
Picture format720p (HDTV)
(selected matches are upscaled to 2160p 4K UHD broadcasts on selected platforms)
(downscaled to letterboxed 480i for the SDTV feed)
Ownership
OwnerESPN Inc.
Sister channels
History
LaunchedSeptember 7, 1979; 45 years ago (1979-09-07)[1]
Links
Websitewww.espn.com Edit this at Wikidata
Availability
Streaming media
ESPN+espn.com/espnplus
(U.S. pay-TV subscribers only)
Service(s)DirecTV Stream, FuboTV, Hulu with Live TV, Sling TV, YouTube TV

ESPN (an abbreviation of its original name, the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network[2]) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by The Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Communications (20%) through the joint venture ESPN Inc. The company was founded in 1979 by Bill Rasmussen, Scott Rasmussen and Ed Eagan.[2]

ESPN broadcasts primarily from studio facilities located in Bristol, Connecticut. The network also operates offices and auxiliary studios in Miami, Orlando, New York City, Las Vegas, Seattle, Charlotte, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles. James Pitaro has been chairman since March 5, 2018, following the resignation of John Skipper on December 18, 2017.[3]

As of December 2023, ESPN is available to approximately 70 million pay television households in the United States—down from its 2011 peak of 100 million households.[4] It operates regional channels in Africa, Australia, Latin America, and the Netherlands. In Canada, it owns a 20% interest in The Sports Network (TSN) and its five sister networks. Despite the network's success, criticism of ESPN includes accusations of biased coverage,[5] conflict of interest, and controversies with individual broadcasters and analysts.[citation needed]

History

[edit]
Main article: History of ESPN

Background and Launch

[edit]
Headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut

Bill Rasmussen came up with the concept of ESPN in May 1978, after he was fired from his job with the World Hockey Association's New England Whalers. Rasmussen and his ESPN co-founder Ed Eagan, joined by Rasmussen's son Scott (who had also been let go by the Whalers), first rented office space in Plainville, Connecticut. However, the plan to base ESPN there was put on hold because of a local ordinance prohibiting buildings from bearing rooftop satellite dishes. Available land to build their own facility on was quickly found in Bristol, Connecticut (where the channel remains headquartered to this day), with funding to buy the property provided by Getty Oil, which purchased 85% of the company from Bill Rasmussen on February 22, 1979, in an attempt to diversify the company's holdings. This helped the credibility of the fledgling company; however, there were still many doubters about the viability of their sports channel concept. Another event that helped build ESPN's credibility was securing an advertising agreement with Anheuser-Busch in the spring of 1979; the company invested $1 million to be the "exclusive beer advertised on the network".[6][7]

ESPN's first logo, used from 1979 to 1985

ESPN launched on September 7, 1979, beginning with the first telecast of what would become the channel's flagship program, SportsCenter. Taped in front of a small live audience inside the Bristol studios, it was broadcast to 1.4 million cable subscribers throughout the United States.[8] One month after launch, Chris Berman joined the network; he would continue to be an on-air fixture for decades.

1980s to 2000s

[edit]

ESPN's next big step forward came when the channel acquired the rights to broadcast coverage of the early rounds of the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. It first aired its games in March 1980, helping bring attention to what is today known as "March Madness". The channel's tournament coverage also launched the broadcasting career of Dick Vitale, who at the time he joined ESPN had just been fired as head coach of the Detroit Pistons.

In April of that year ESPN began televising the NFL Draft, bringing it also to a mass audience and over time creating a television "event". That same month the network began broadcasting Top Rank Boxing on ESPN, marking the beginning of its involvement with televised professional boxing.[9] The show lasted 16 years, and ESPN has since shown boxing live intermittently with other shows including ESPN Friday Night Fights and others. For a period during the 1980s, the network had boxing tournaments, crowning champions in different boxing weight divisions as "ESPN champions".

The next major stepping stone for ESPN came throughout a couple of months in 1984. During this period, the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) purchased 100% of ESPN from the Rasmussens and Getty Oil.[6] Under Getty ownership, the channel was unable to compete for the television rights to major sports events contracts as its majority corporate parent would not provide the funding, leading ESPN to lose out for broadcast deals with the National Hockey League (to USA Network) and NCAA Division I college football (to TBS). For years, the NFL, NBA, and Major League Baseball refused to consider cable as a means of broadcasting some of their games.[10] However, with the backing of ABC, ESPN's ability to compete for major sports contracts greatly increased, and gave it credibility within the sports broadcasting industry.

Later that year, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in NCAA v. Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma (1984) that the NCAA could no longer monopolize the rights to negotiate the contracts for college football games, allowing each school to negotiate broadcast deals on their own. ESPN took full advantage and began to broadcast a large number of NCAA football games, creating an opportunity for fans to be able to view multiple games each weekend (instead of just one), the same deal that the NCAA had previously negotiated with TBS.[10] ESPN's breakthrough moment occurred in 1987 when it secured a contract with the NFL to broadcast eight games during that year's regular season – all of which aired on Sunday nights, marking the first broadcasts of Sunday NFL primetime games. ESPN's Sunday Night Football games would become the highest-rated NFL telecasts for the next 17 years (before losing the rights to NBC in 2006).[11] The channel's decision to broadcast NFL games on Sunday evenings resulted in a decline in viewership for the daytime games shown on the major broadcast networks, marking the first time that ESPN had been a legitimate competitor to NBC and CBS, which had long dominated the sports television market.

In 1992, ESPN launched ESPN Radio, a national sports talk radio network providing analysis and commentary programs (including shows such as Mike and Mike in the Morning and The Herd) as well as audio play-by-play of sporting events (including some simulcast with the ESPN television channel).[6]

On October 10, 1993, ESPN2 – a secondary channel that originally was programmed with a separate lineup of niche sports popular with males 18–49 years old (with snowboarding and the World Series of Poker as its headliners) as well as serving as an overflow channel for ESPN – launched on cable systems reaching to 10 million subscribers.[6] It became the fastest-growing cable channel in the U.S. during the 1990s, eventually expanding its national reach to 75 million subscribers.[6]

Ownership of ABC, and thus control of ESPN, was acquired by Capital Cities Communications in 1985.[12] ESPN's parent company renamed themselves as Capital Cities/ABC Inc. Capital Cities/ABC Inc. was then acquired by The Walt Disney Company in 1996[13] and was re-branded as Walt Disney Television.

2000s

[edit]

Challenges began to appear in the 2000s. ESPN began to shed viewers, more than 10 million over a period of several years in the 2010s even while paying large sums of money for the broadcast rights to properties like the NFL, NBA and College Football Playoff.[14]

On April 26, 2017, approximately 100 ESPN employees were notified that their positions with the sports network had been terminated, among them athletes-turned-analysts Trent Dilfer and Danny Kanell, and noted journalists like NFL beat reporter Ed Werder and Major League Baseball expert Jayson Stark.[15] Further cost-cutting measures taken included moving the studio operations of ESPNU to Bristol from Charlotte, North Carolina,[16] reducing its longtime MLB studio show Baseball Tonight to Sundays as a lead-in to the primetime game and adding the MLB Network-produced Intentional Talk to ESPN2's daily lineup.[17]

On April 12, 2018, ESPN began a supplemental over-the-top streaming service known as ESPN+.[18]

After having last carried national-televised NHL games in 2004, ESPN and ABC agreed in March 2021 on a seven-year contract to televise games, with some airing on ESPN+ and Hulu. The contract also awarded four of the seven Stanley Cup Finals to both ESPN and ABC. All other nationally televised games would air on TBS and TNT under a separate deal the league struck with Turner Sports the following month.[19]

On August 8, 2023, ESPN and Penn Entertainment announced a deal to brand Penn's sportsbooks with ESPN branding. Penn's existing Barstool Sportsbook would be rebranded as ESPN Bet in fall 2023.[20][21]

On February 6, 2024, ESPN announced a joint venture with Fox Sports and TNT Sports to offer Venu Sports, including the three organizations' main linear sports channels and associated media rights, beginning in fall 2024.[22] Additionally, the company plans to launch a "flagship" standalone streaming offering, including the ESPN and ESPN2 linear channels, in late summer or fall 2025.[23]

Programming

[edit]
Main articles: List of programs broadcast by ESPN, List of ESPN sports broadcasting rights, and List of UFC events

Alongside its live sports broadcasts, ESPN also airs a variety of sports highlight, talk, and documentary-styled shows. These include:

Many of ESPN's documentary programs (such as 30 for 30 and Nine for IX) are produced by ESPN Films, a film division created in March 2008 as a restructuring of ESPN Original Entertainment, a programming division that was originally formed in 2001. 30 for 30 started airing in 2009 and continues airing to this day. Each episode is through the eyes of a well known filmmaker and has featured some of the biggest directors in Hollywood.[24] The 30 for 30 film O.J.: Made in America won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2017, the first such Oscar for ESPN.[25]

Ultimate Fighting Championship signed a five-year contract with ESPN starting 2019[26] on ESPN and ESPN+ which estimate every quarter 2 event on UFC on ESPN and 6 events on UFC Fight Night on ESPN+.[27]

In March 2019, ESPN announced a new betting-themed daily program, Daily Wager, hosted by the network's gambling analyst Doug Kezirian.[28] The program was ESPN's first regularly scheduled program solely dedicated to gaming-related content. On May 14, 2019, ESPN announced a deal with casino operator Caesars Entertainment to establish an ESPN-branded studio at The LINQ Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas to produce betting-themed content.[29]

In order to help offset the impact of COVID-19 on its business, Walt Disney CEO Bob Chapek indicated during a 4th quarter fiscal year 2021 earnings conference that the company would increase its presence in online sports betting, including in partnership with third parties.[30][31]

In 2023, The Pat McAfee Show moved to ESPN as part of a five-year $85 million deal. The show replaced the Noon ET airing of SportsCenter and This Just In with Max Kellerman.[32][33]

[edit]

ESPN on ABC

[edit]
Main article: ESPN on ABC

Since September 2006, ESPN has been integrated with the sports division of sister broadcast network ABC, with sports events televised on that network airing under the banner ESPN on ABC;[34] much of ABC's sports coverage since the rebranding has become increasingly limited to secondary coverage of sporting events whose broadcast rights are held by ESPN (such as NBA games, NHL games, and the X Games and its related qualifying events) as well as a limited array of events not broadcast on ESPN (most notably, the NBA Finals).

ESPN2

[edit]
Main article: ESPN2

ESPN2 was launched on October 1, 1993. It carried a broad mix of event coverage from conventional sports—including auto racing, college basketball and NHL hockey—to extreme sports—such as BMX, skateboarding and motocross.[35] The "ESPN BottomLine", a ticker displaying sports news and scores during all programming that is now used by all of ESPN's networks, originated on ESPN2 in 1995.[36] In the late 1990s, ESPN2 was gradually reformatted to serve as a secondary outlet for ESPN's mainstream sports programming.[37]

ESPNews

[edit]
Main article: ESPNews

ESPNews is a subscription television network that was launched on November 1, 1996, originally focusing solely on sports news, highlights, and press conferences. Since August 2010, the network has gradually incorporated encores of ESPN's various sports debate and entertainment shows and video simulcasts of ESPN Radio shows, in addition to sports news programming. Since the 2013 cancellation of Highlight Express,[38] programming consists mainly of rebroadcasts of SportsCenter. ESPNews also serves as an overflow feed due to programming conflicts caused by sporting events on the other ESPN networks.

ESPN Deportes

[edit]
Main article: ESPN Deportes

ESPN Deportes (Spanish pronunciation: [i.es.piˈen deˈpoɾtes], "ESPN Sports") is a subscription television network that was originally launched in July 2001 to provide Spanish simulcasts of certain Major League Baseball telecasts from ESPN. It became a 24-hour sports channel in January 2004.

ESPNU

[edit]
Main article: ESPNU

ESPNU is a subscription television network that launched on March 4, 2005, that focuses on college athletics including basketball, football, baseball, college swimming, and ice hockey.

SEC Network

[edit]
Main article: SEC Network

SEC Network is a subscription television network that launched on August 14, 2014, focusing on the coverage of sporting events sanctioned by the Southeastern Conference. Created as a result of a 20-year broadcast partnership between the two entities, the network is a joint venture between the conference and ESPN Inc., which operates the network.[39][40]

ACC Network

[edit]
Main article: ACC Network

Launching on August 22, 2019, the ACC Network is a subscription television network that focuses on the sporting events of the Atlantic Coast Conference as part of a current agreement extending to the 2036–37 academic term as a joint venture of network operator ESPN Inc. and the ACC.[41]

ESPN+

[edit]
Main article: ESPN+

ESPN+ is an American over-the-top subscription video streaming service available in the United States, owned by the ESPN division of the Walt Disney Company, in partnership with ESPN Inc.

Other services

[edit]
ESPN HD

ESPN launched its high definition simulcast feed, originally branded as ESPNHD, on March 30, 2003, with an Opening Day broadcast of the Texas Rangers and Anaheim Angels.[42] All studio shows based in Bristol and at L. A. Live, along with most live event telecasts on ESPN, are broadcast in high definition. ESPN is one of the few television networks with an all-digital infrastructure. Archived non-HD programming is presented in 4:3 standard definition with stylized pillarboxing. Pardon the Interruption and Around the Horn began airing in HD on September 27, 2010, with the relocation of the production of both shows into the facility housing the Washington, D.C., bureau for ABC News.[43]

ESPN broadcasts HD programming in the 720p resolution format, because ABC executives proposed a progressive scan signal that resolves fluid and high-speed motion in sports better, particularly during slow-motion replays.[44] The network's Digital Center itself natively holds 2160p UHD/4K operations and equipment.[45][46] In 2011, ESPNHD began to downplay its distinct promotional logo in preparation for the conversion of its standard definition feed from a 4:3 full-screen to a letterboxed format (via the application of the AFD #10 display flag), which occurred on June 1 of that year.

WatchESPN

WatchESPN was a website for desktop computers, as well as an application for smartphones and tablet computers that allowed subscribers of participating pay-TV providers to watch live streams of programming from ESPN and its sister networks (except for ESPN Classic), including most sporting events, on computers, mobile devices, Apple TV, Roku and Xbox Live via their TV Everywhere login provided by their cable provider. The service originally launched on October 25, 2010, as ESPN Networks, a streaming service that provided a live stream of ESPN exclusive to Time Warner Cable subscribers.[47] ESPN3, an online streaming service providing live streams and replays of global sports events that launched in 2005 as a separate website,[48] was incorporated into the WatchESPN platform on August 31, 2011.[49] Likewise, ESPN+ was launched in April 2018 as an add-on subscription for $4.99 per month.[50] On June 1, 2019, WatchESPN was discontinued with the service's full merger into the ESPN app.[citation needed]

ESPN Events

ESPN Regional Television (formerly branded as ESPN Plus) is the network's syndication arm, which produces collegiate sporting events for free-to-air television stations throughout the United States (primarily those affiliated with networks such as The CW and MyNetworkTV or independent stations). ESPN Plus syndicates college football and basketball games from the American Athletic Conference, Big 12 Conference,[51] Mid-American Conference, Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, Sun Belt Conference and the Western Athletic Conference.[citation needed]

ESPN on Snapchat

ESPN distributes various content on Snapchat Discover, including a Snapchat-only version of SportsCenter.[citation needed]

ESPN MVP

ESPN MVP (initially known as Mobile ESPN) was a 2005 attempt at operating a mobile virtual network operator with exclusive mobile content, first as a phone feature, then after its termination into a Verizon Wireless paid service. Technologies developed for it have since been transferred to the network's successful mobile strategy in the smartphone era.[citation needed]

Former services

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ESPN Classic
Main article: ESPN Classic

ESPN Classic was a subscription television network that launched in 1995 as Classic Sports Network, founded by Brian Bedol and Steve Greenberg. ESPN Inc. purchased Classic Sports Network in 1997 for $175 million,[52] rebranding the channel as "ESPN Classic" in 1998. The channel broadcast notable archived sporting events (originally including events from earlier decades, but later focusing mainly on events from the 1990s and later), as well as sports documentaries and sports-themed movies. It was discontinued on December 31, 2021.

Longhorn Network
Main article: Longhorn Network

The Longhorn Network was a subscription television network that launched on August 26, 2011, focusing on events from the Texas Longhorns varsity sports teams of the University of Texas at Austin.[53] It features events from the 20 sports sanctioned by the Texas athletic department, along with original programming (including historical, academic and cultural content). It was discontinued on June 30, 2024, a day before the Longhorns' move to the Southeastern Conference.

International channels

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Main article: ESPN International

ESPN owns and operates regional channels in Brazil, Caribbean, Latin America, Netherlands, Oceania and Sub-Saharan Africa. In Canada, ESPN is a minority owner of The Sports Network (TSN) and the French-language Réseau des sports (RDS). ESPN also has a minority stake in J Sports in Japan.

ESPN Bet

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Main article: ESPN Bet

ESPN moved into the sports betting scene in November 2023 with plans to launch their sportsbook app "ESPN Bet" on November 14.[54] In a partnership with Penn Entertainment, ESPN Bet began in 17 states.[55] Once live, ESPN featured betting odds from their own sportsbook on their content.

Criticism

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Main article: Criticism of ESPN

ESPN has been criticized for focusing too much on men's college and professional sports (particularly the NBA and NFL), and very little on women's sports or extreme sports.[56] Baseball, ice hockey, and soccer fans have also criticized ESPN for not giving their respective sports more coverage.[57][58] Other criticism has focused on ethnicity in ESPN's varying mediated forms, as well as carriage fees and issues regarding the exportation of ESPN content.[59] Some critics argue that ESPN's success is their ability to provide other enterprise and investigative sports news while competing with other hard sports-news-producing outlets such as Yahoo! Sports and Fox Sports.[60] Some scholars have challenged ESPN's journalistic integrity, calling for an expanded standard of professionalism to prevent biased coverage and conflicts of interest.[61]

On October 8, 2019, Deadspin reported that an internal memo was sent to ESPN employees instructing them to avoid any political discussions regarding the People's Republic of China and Hong Kong in the aftermath of a tweet by Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey.[62]

Awards

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  • National Hispanic Media Coalition's "Outstanding Commitment and Outreach to the Latino Community", 2016[63]

ESPN has won 232 Sports Emmy Awards in 35 years of eligibility. [64] In 2024, ESPN apologized for submitting fake names for Sports Emmy award consideration over many years, and returned 37 trophies that had been awarded to ineligible recipients to the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.[65]

See also

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References

[edit]
  1. ^ Couch, Teri (January 2, 1980). "ESPN, Inc.: 1979 in Review". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on August 29, 2022. Retrieved August 29, 2022. The sports television landscape was changed forever on September 7, 1979, with the launch of the world's first all-sports, satellite-delivered cable television network. The Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, based in Bristol, Conn., is beamed to affiliate systems nationwide on Satcom I, Transponder #7 and is now seen in approximately four million U.S. households. ESPN is led by former NBC Sports president Chester R. Simmons.
  2. ^ a b "What does ESPN stand for?". ESPN.com. ESPN Internet Ventures, LLC. Archived from the original on March 9, 2023. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
  3. ^ James, Meg (November 23, 2011). "John Skipper is promoted to ESPN president". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 27, 2012. Retrieved January 24, 2012.
  4. ^ "U.S. cable network households (universe), 1990 – 2023". wrestlenomics.com. May 14, 2024. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
  5. ^ "Geography lesson: Breaking down the bias in ESPN's coverage". Archived June 20, 2019, at the Wayback Machine. ESPN.com, August 15, 2008.
  6. ^ a b c d e Kleinfield, N.R. (May 1, 1984). "ABC To Acquire ESPN As Texaco Sells Its 72%". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 9, 2023. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  7. ^ Potts, Mark (May 1, 1984). "ABC to Buy Texaco's ESPN Cable Channel". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on September 3, 2018. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  8. ^ Larry Stewart (April 19, 1988). "Dishing It Out : ESPN, the Little Network That Could, Finds There's 24-Hour Sports Audience". Los Angeles Times.
  9. ^ "40 Years of Top Rank Boxing on ESPN". April 10, 2020. Archived from the original on December 28, 2021. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
  10. ^ a b Wolverton, Brad; López-Rivera, Marisa; Killough, Ashley C. (September 4, 2009). "A Powerful League Piles Up Its Advantages". Chronicle of Higher Education. Vol. 56, no. 2. pp. A1 – A28. Archived from the original on November 11, 2015. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  11. ^ Goodwin, Michael (December 29, 1987). "ESPN Ends Season in Middle of Pack". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 10, 2023. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  12. ^ Vise, David A. (March 19, 1985). "Capital Cities Communications To Buy ABC for $3.5 Billion". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 23, 2017. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
  13. ^ Geraldine Fabrikant (January 5, 1996). "THE MEDIA BUSINESS;Disney and ABC Shareholders Solidly Approve Merger Deal". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 4, 2013. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
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  21. ^ Weprin, Alex (August 8, 2023). "ESPN Inks $2B Deal for Gambling Venture With Penn Entertainment". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  22. ^ Mullin, Benjamin; Draper, Kevin (February 6, 2024). "Disney, Fox and Warner Bros. Join Forces for Sports Streaming Service". The New York Times. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
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  30. ^ DIS The Walt Disney Company (November 10, 2021). "Walt DisneCompanyny DIS CEO Bob Chapek on Q4 fiscal year 2021 earnings conference call Transcript". Seeking Alpha. Seekingalpha. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
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  32. ^ Lucia, Joe (August 17, 2023). "'The Pat McAfee Show' premieres September 7 on ESPN". Awful Announcing. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
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  51. ^ "Men抯 Basketball Television FAQ". Big12Sports.com. Archived from the original on September 3, 2014. Retrieved August 29, 2014.
  52. ^ Whitford, David (May 25, 2010). "The king of the sports deal". Fortune. Archived from the original on May 22, 2010. Retrieved June 2, 2010.
  53. ^ "ESPN and University of Texas unveil 'Longhorn Network' name and logo". TexasSports.com. April 3, 2011. Archived from the original on May 22, 2013. Retrieved August 29, 2014.
  54. ^ Manzo, John R. (August 8, 2023). "ESPN to Launch ESPN BET in a New Agreement with PENN Entertainment". ESPN Press Room U.S. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  55. ^ Kelley, Zachary (November 2, 2023). "PENN Announces ESPN BET Launch on November 14 in 17 States". LegalSportsBetting.com. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  56. ^ Lavelle, Katherine L (2015). "Chapter 10 The ESPN Effect Representation of Women in 30 for 30 Films". The ESPN effect: exploring the worldwide leader in sports. McGuire, John, 1961–, Armfield, Greg G.; Earnheardt, Adam C., 1970–. New York. ISBN 978-1-4331-2600-0. OCLC 917889678.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  57. ^ Steinberg, Dan. "ESPN just gutted its hockey coverage in the middle of the Stanley Cup playoffs". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on December 3, 2020. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  58. ^ "ESPN+ is another smack in the face for soccer fans – World Soccer Talk". April 10, 2018. Archived from the original on June 28, 2018. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
  59. ^ Earnheardt, Adam C. (July 17, 2015). "Chapter 20 Afterword: Challenging the Worldwide Leader in Sports". In McGuire, John; Armfield, Greg; Earnheardt, Adam C. (eds.). The ESPN Effect: Exploring the Worldwide Leader in Sports. New York: Peter Lang. pp. 265–270. ISBN 978-1-4331-2600-0.
  60. ^ Badenhausen, Kurt (November 9, 2012). "Why ESPN Is Worth $40 Billion As The World's Most Valuable Media Property". Forbes. Archived from the original on February 24, 2018. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
  61. ^ Oates, T. P.; Pauly, J. (2007). "Sports journalism as moral and ethical discourse". Journal of Mass Media Ethics. 22 (4): 332–347. doi:10.1080/08900520701583628. ISSN 0890-0523. S2CID 143559022. Archived from the original on January 30, 2023. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
  62. ^ "Internal Memo: ESPN Forbids Discussion Of Chinese Politics When Discussing Daryl Morey's Tweet About Chinese Politics". Deadspin. October 8, 2019. Archived from the original on October 13, 2019. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  63. ^ "Pasadena-Based National Hispanic Media Coalition Honors Positive Portrayals of Latinos in Media – Pasadena Now". www.pasadenanow.com. Archived from the original on August 4, 2021. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  64. ^ Dwornik, Ardi (May 11, 2022). "ESPN Wins 11 Sports Emmy Awards to Again Lead Industry". ESPN Press Room. ESPN. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  65. ^ Casselberry, Ian (January 12, 2024). "ESPN Apologizes for Decades-Long Emmy Awards Scheme". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 12, 2024.

Bibliography

[edit]
  • McGuire, John; Armfield, Greg G.; Earnheardt, Adam C., eds. (2015). The ESPN Effect: The Making of a Sports Media Empire. New York: Peter Lang. ISBN 978-1-4331-2600-0.
  • Miller, James Andrew; Shales, Tom (2011). Those Guys Have All the Fun: Inside the World of ESPN. New York: Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 978-0-316-04300-7.
  • Vogan, Travis (2015). ESPN: The Making of a Sports Media Empire. Urbana: University of Illinois Press. ISBN 978-0-252-03976-8.
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