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).
Television channel
ESPN
Country
United States
Headquarters
Bristol, Connecticut
Programming
Language(s)
English
Picture format
2160p 4K UHD (downscaled to letterboxed 480i for the SDTV feed)
Ownership
Owner
The Walt Disney Company (80%) Hearst Communications (20%)
Parent
ESPN Inc.
Sister channels
List
24Kitchen
ABC
A&E
ACC Network
C&I
Disney Channel
Disney Junior
Disney XD
ESPN on ABC
ESPN2
ESPN3
ESPN+
ESPNews
ESPNU
ESPNW
ESPN Deportes
Freeform
FX
FXX
FXM
FYI
History
History en Español
Lifetime
LMN
LRW
Longhorn Network
Military History
National Geographic
Nat Geo Wild
SEC Network
Vice
History
Launched
September 7, 1979; 44 years ago (1979-09-07)[1]
Links
Website
www.espn.com
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 November 2021[update], 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[update], 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.[citation needed]
^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.
^ ab"What does ESPN stand for?". ESPN.com. ESPN Internet Ventures, LLC. Archived from the original on March 9, 2023. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
^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.
^"ESPN Pay-TV Carriage Fell Another 10% to End Fiscal 2021 at 76 Million U.S. Households". November 24, 2021. Archived from the original on February 10, 2023. Retrieved November 25, 2021.
^Robert Seidman (June 4, 2023). "How many homes the sports networks are available in". Internet Compost. Archived from the original on June 20, 2023. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
^"ESPN Inc". Archived April 15, 2008, at the Wayback Machine. Encyclopædia Britannica.
^"Geography lesson: Breaking down the bias in ESPN's coverage". Archived June 20, 2019, at the Wayback Machine. ESPN.com, August 15, 2008.
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Global Information
