ESPN, also known as Entertainment and Sports Programming Network and Disney Sports, is a privately owned company headquartered in the US. Founded in 1979 by Bill Rasmussen, Scott Rasmussen, and Ed Eagan, the company employs approximately 11,120 individuals and primarily focuses on broadcast television and radio. It reported $17.7B in revenue as of 2025. Its parent companies include The Walt Disney Company (which holds an 80% stake), Hearst Communications (which holds a 20% stake), and National Football League (NFL). The company's subsidiaries include CTV Television Network. ESPN operates as a media entity, reaching viewers globally through television, radio, digital platforms, and print.

Revenue

Founded

1979

Headcount

11,425

Headquarters

United States

Primary Segment

Broadcast television and radio

Ownership

Privately Owned

Deployments

8

News Summary:

On July 9, 2026, ESPN reported increased viewership for its daytime shows in June compared to the previous year, with "Pardon The Interruption" dominating ratings among its programs. Previously, on July 8, NFL insider Adam Schefter was reportedly nearing a multi-year extension to remain with ESPN into the 2030s. Earlier on July 3, ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported that NBA officials are targeting 2027 to consolidate most local television rights under a single media partner, responding to declining regional sports network revenue. Also on July 3, ESPN reportedly requested that WWE increase the number of matches at its recently concluded Night of Champions Premium Live Event, a change from typical WWE PLEs that generally feature 4-5 matches.

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ESPN offers 12 products in the media and telecoms services industry. ESPN's product portfolio comprises of content rights and broadcast television and radio.
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ESPN's revenues were over $1B in 2025. Caretta Research has split ESPN's revenue into 3 different product categories, the largest of which is linear (thematic channel groups). For full access to ESPN's revenue breakdown subscribe to Caretta Portal.
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ESPN has partners like Cosm. Examples of ESPN's suppliers include Deluxe, CSG and Amazon Web Services (AWS).

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ESPN currently holds 415 broadcasting rights for sports competitions including curling, winter sports, athletics, ice hockey, badminton, multi-sport, horse racing, cricket, motorsports, darts, kabaddi, golf, basketball, cycling, weightlifting, aquatics and swimming, poker, sports sublicensing, soccer | association football, padel and pickleball, rugby league, climbing, ultimate frisbee, futsal, baseball, softball, lacrosse, tennis, boxing, gymnastics, ice skating, rugby union, volleyball, professional wrestling, surfing, combat sports, handball, australian rules football, polo, beach volleyball, american football, fishing, triathlon, field hockey, marathon, other sports and table tennis.

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