ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network until 1985) is an American international multiplatform sports media company owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Communications (20%) through the joint venture ESPN Inc. The company was founded on September 7, 1979 by Bill Rasmussen, Scott Rasmussen and Ed Eagan.
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.
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. 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.
This description was generated automatically and may contain inaccuracies.
New details reveal the financial trade-offs behind WWE’s media rights shuffle, including a renegotiated Peacock deal that secured Saturday Night’s Main Event exclusively for the platform while paving the way for the move to ESPN.
As part of WWE’s new agreement with ESPN, ‘Saturday Night’s Main Event’ will now stream exclusively on Peacock, a strategic move following the early exit of Premium Live Events from the platform.
The friction between ESPN and AEW reportedly predates the recent WWE deal, stemming from a 2023 CM Punk interview where details were allegedly leaked by AEW before publication.
A new report suggests WWE’s major events could leave Peacock for ESPN ahead of the planned 2026 start date, potentially beginning with an unannounced September PLE.
