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Country | United States |
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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 | |
History | |
Launched | September 7, 1979[1] |
Links | |
Website | www |
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[update], 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]
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.
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