ESPN
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]
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).Country
2160p 4K UHD
(downscaled to letterboxed 480i for the SDTV feed)
The Walt Disney Company (80%)
Hearst Communications (20%)
September 7, 1979[1]
espn.com/espnplus
(U.S. pay-TV subscribers only)
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 November 2021, ESPN reached approximately 76 million television households in the United States—a drop of 24% from nearly a decade prior.[4] As of June 2023, the channel's reach had been reduced to 72.5 million homes.[5] In addition to the flagship channel and its seven related channels in the United States, ESPN broadcasts in more than 200 countries.[6] 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,[7] conflict of interest, and controversies with individual broadcasters and analysts.
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.[25] 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.[26]
Ultimate Fighting Championship signed a 5-year contract with ESPN starting 2019[27] on ESPN and ESPN+ which estimate every quarter 2 event on UFC on ESPN and 6 events on UFC Fight Night on ESPN+.[28]
In March 2019, ESPN announced a new betting-themed daily program, Daily Wager, hosted by the network's gambling analyst Doug Kezirian.[29] 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.[30]
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.[31][32]
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.[33][34]
ESPN Bet[edit]
ESPN moved into the sports betting scene in November 2023 with plans to launch their sportsbook app "ESPN Bet" on November 14.[55] In a partnership with Penn Entertainment, ESPN Bet began in 17 states.[56] Once live, ESPN featured betting odds from their own sportsbook on their content.
ESPN has won 232 Sports Emmy Awards in 35 years of eligibility. [65]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.[66]