ESPN

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 format2160p 4K UHD
(downscaled to letterboxed 480i for the SDTV feed)
Ownership
OwnerThe Walt Disney Company (80%)
Hearst Communications (20%)
ParentESPN 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]

  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.