ESPN
77795
225856942
2008-07-15T18:50:00Z
96.3.72.93
/* ESPN in popular culture */
{{Infobox_TV_channel
|name=ESPN
|owner=[[The Walt Disney Company]] (80%)<br>[[Hearst Corporation]] (20%)
|logofile=ESPN wordmark.svg
|logoalt|ESPN logo since 1985
|logosize=200px
|country={{USA}}
|language=[[English language|English]]
|launch=[[September 7]], [[1979]]
|headquarters=[[Bristol, Connecticut|Bristol]], [[Connecticut]]
|web=[http://espn.go.com/ ESPN.com]
|former names=Entertainment and Sports Programming Network<br>ESP (never used on air)
|picture format=[[480i]] ([[SDTV]])<br>[[720p]] ([[HDTV]])
|slogan=The Worldwide Leader in Sports
|sat serv 1=[[DirecTV]]
|sat chan 1=206
|sat serv 2=[[Dish Network]]
|sat chan 2=140 (SD)<br>9424 (HD)
|cable serv 1=Available on most cable systems
|cable chan 1=Check local listings for channels
|key_people=[[George Bodenheimer]], [[President]]
|founder=[[Scott Rasmussen]] and Bill Rasmussen
}}
'''ESPN''' (originally an acronym for ''Entertainment and Sports Programming Network''), is an [[United States|American]] [[cable television]] [[Television network|network]] dedicated to [[Broadcasting of sports events|broadcasting]] and producing sports-related programming 24 hours a day. It was founded by [[Scott Rasmussen]] and his father [[Bill Rasmussen]] and launched on [[September 7]], [[1979]], under the direction of Chet Simmons, who was the network's first President and CEO (and later became the [[United States Football League]]'s first commissioner). [[George Bodenheimer]] is ESPN's current president, a position he has held since [[November 19]], [[1998]]; since [[March 3]], [[2003]], he has been the head of ABC Sports as well, which has since been rebranded as [[ESPN on ABC]] (though ABC Sports still legally has a separate existence). ESPN's signature telecast, ''[[SportsCenter]]'', debuted with the network and aired its 30,000th episode on [[February 11]], [[2007]]. ESPN broadcasts primarily out of its studios in [[Bristol, Connecticut]]; it also operates offices out of [[New York City, New York]]; [[Seattle, Washington]]; [[Charlotte, North Carolina]] and [[Los Angeles, California]]; the Los Angeles office is scheduled to open at [[L.A. Live]] in [[2009]]. The name of the sport company was lengthened to "ESPN Inc." in February [[1985]].
ESPN considers itself "The Worldwide Leader in Sports", a slogan that appears on nearly all company media but whose origin is unknown.
Most programming on ESPN and its affiliated networks is composed of live or tape-delayed sporting events and sports-related news programming (such as '[[SportsCenter]]') with the remainder filled by sports-related talk shows (such as '[[Around the Horn]]', 'Jim Rome is Burning','Outside The Lines', and '[[Pardon the Interruption|PTI]]') and sports-related documentaries.
==History==
===Early years===
The roots of ESPN can be traced to Bill Rasmussen, a television [[sports]] reporter for [[WWLP]], the [[NBC]] affiliate in [[Springfield, Massachusetts]]. Bill was hoping to create the first national sports network. In the mid-1970s, Rasmussen worked for the [[World Hockey Association]]'s [[New England Whalers]], selling commercial time for their broadcasts. His son Scott, a former high school goaltender, was the team's [[public address system|public-address announcer]]. Both were fired in 1977 and Rasmussen sought a new business venture. His original idea was a [[cable television]] network (then a fairly new medium) that focused on covering sports events in the state of [[Connecticut]] (for example, the [[Hartford Whalers]] and the [[Connecticut Huskies]]). When Rasmussen was told that buying a continuous 24-hour satellite feed was less expensive than buying several blocks of only a few hours a night, he expanded to a 24-hour nationwide network. The channel's original name was ESP, for Entertainment and Sports Programming, but it was changed prior to launch.<ref>''ESPN: An Uncensored History'', by [[Michael Freeman]]. Published in 2000</ref>
ESPN started with the debut of ''[[SportsCenter]]'' hosted by [[Lee Leonard]] and [[George Grande]] on [[September 7]], [[1979]]. Afterwards was a pro slow pitch softball game. The first score on ''SportsCenter'' was from women's [[tennis]].
To help fill 24 hours a day of air time, ESPN aired a wide variety of sports events that broadcast networks did not show on weekends, including [[Australian Rules Football]], [[Davis Cup|Davis Cup tennis]], [[professional wrestling]], [[boxing]], and additional [[college football]] and [[college basketball|basketball]] games. The U.S. Olympic Festival, the now-defunct competition that was organized as a training tool by the [[United States Olympic Committee]], was also an ESPN staple during this time.
Even before ESPN began telecasts, it convinced the NCAA to grant it rights to show early round games of the [[NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship]]. The game broadcasts were extensive and helped college basketball gain a larger audience.{{Fact|date=June 2007}}
===Professional sports arrive===
ESPN (along with the [[USA Network]]) was among the earliest cable-based broadcast partners for the [[National Basketball Association]] (NBA). Lasting from 1982-84, the network's relationship with the association marked its initial foray into the American professional sports sector. After an eighteen-year hiatus, ESPN (by then, under the auspices of the [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] network), secured a $2.4 billion/six-year broadcast contract with the NBA, thereby revitalizing its historic compact with U.S. [[professional basketball]].
In 1983, The [[United States Football League]] (USFL) made its debut on ESPN and ABC. The league (which lasted for three seasons) enjoyed ephemeral success, some portion of which was a byproduct of the exposure afforded through ESPN's coverage.
In [[1987 NFL season|1987]], ESPN gained partial rights to the [[National Football League]]. The league agreed to the deal as long as ESPN agreed to [[simulcast]] the games on local [[television stations]] in the participating [[media market|markets]], which continues today. ''[[ESPN Sunday Night Football]]'' would last for 19 years and symbolize ESPN's rise from novelty network to American [[pop culture]] institution. In the 2006 NFL season ABC's ''[[Monday Night Football]]'', long considered the showcase game of the NFL's week, began to be broadcast on ESPN. This was done to increase viewership of the Sunday night game and make it the "showcase" game.
In 1990, ESPN added [[Major League Baseball]] to its lineup with a $400 million contract.<ref>ESPN, Encyclopedia Britannica, http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9002482/ESPN</ref> MLB games are still on ESPN today and are scheduled to continue through 2011. [[Jon Miller]] and [[Joe Morgan]] were named as the broadcasters, and that team also continues to this day.
ESPN at one time has broadcast each of the four [[major professional sports league]]s in North America until deciding not to renew the deal with the [[National Hockey League]] after the [[2004-05 NHL lockout|2004-2005 lockout]], citing ratings for original programming were comparable to those of NHL broadcasts.<ref name="nhl">{{cite news
|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=2137098
|publisher=ESPN
|title=ESPN decides not to match Comcast's offer
|date=2005-08-18
}}</ref>
ESPN broadcasts 65 sports, 24 hours a day in 14 languages in more than 150 countries.<ref>ESPN, Encyclopedia Britannica, http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9002482/ESPN</ref>
===Expansion===
The 1990s and early 2000s saw considerable growth within the company. In 1993, [[ESPN2]] was founded, with [[Keith Olbermann]] and [[Suzy Kolber]] launching the network with SportsNite. [[1996|Three years later]], [[ESPNEWS]] was born, with [[Mike Tirico]] as the first [[news anchor|anchor]]. In 1997, ESPN purchased Classic Sports Network and renamed it [[ESPN Classic]]. The latest ESPN network in the U.S., [[ESPNU]], began on [[March 4]], [[2005]].
[[ESPN International]] began in the early 1990s to take advantage of the growing satellite markets in [[Asia]], [[Africa]], and [[Latin America]]. In [[Canada]], ESPN, Inc. purchased a minority share of [[The Sports Network|TSN]] and [[Réseau des sports|RDS]] (in fact, the current corporate logo of both looks similar to that of ESPN). In 2004, ESPN finally entered the [[Europe]]an market by launching a version of [[ESPN Classic (UK)|ESPN Classic]], and in December 2006, it agreed to purchase [[North American Sports Network]]. ''SportsCenter'''s primary three broadcasts each day are at 1 a.m. [[North American Eastern Time Zone|ET]] (which re-airs usually until about noon [[North American Eastern Time Zone|ET]]), 6 p.m. [[North American Eastern Time Zone|ET]], and 11 p.m. [[North American Eastern Time Zone|ET]].
In 1994, ESPN set the standard for understanding the role of sports in America with the creation of [[The ESPN Sports Poll]] by Dr. [[Richard Luker]]. The Sports Poll was the first ongoing national daily study of sports fan activities and interests in the United States. ''Sporting News'' acknowledged the accomplishments of The ESPN Sports Poll and Dr. Luker in 1996.<ref> ''The Sporting News'' 12/30/96 </ref>
With the increasing costs of live sports entertainment, such as the U.S.$8.8 billion costs for NFL football broadcasts rights for eight years, "scripted entertainment has become a luxury item for ESPN," said David Carter, director of the Sports Business Institute at the University of Southern California.<ref>"ESPN calls time out on scripted fare", Variety, vol. 407, No. 1, May 21-27, 2007, p. 22 </ref>
From [[1996]] onward, ESPN was closely integrated with ABC Sports. That year, [[Steve Bornstein]], president of ESPN since [[1990]], was made president of ABC Sports as well. This integration culminated in the [[2006]] decision to merge ABC Sports' operations with ESPN. As a result, all of ABC's sports programming now uses [[ESPN on ABC]]. However, ABC Sports is still legally separate from ESPN (see below).
ESPN is currently building a full-fledged broadcast production facility in downtown Los Angeles, as a part of the [[L.A. Live]] complex across from the [[Staples Center]]. The five-story facility will house an ESPN Zone restaurant on the first two floors and two television production studios with digital control rooms on upper floors. It is scheduled to open in spring 2009. One of the studios will host late-night editions of ''SportsCenter''.<ref name=LAT121807>Greg Johnson, [http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-espn18dec18,1,2961654.story ESPN is on schedule to land in L.A. in 2009], ''Los Angeles Times'', [[December 18]], [[2007]].</ref>
In [[2007]], ESPN signed an agreement with the [[Arena Football League]] to broadcast at least one game every weekend, usually on Monday nights.
As of [[January 15]], [[2008]], ESPN has signed a multi-million dollar contract with professional gaming circuit [[Major League Gaming]] or MLG for short. Although some have argued that professional gaming is not a physical sport, ESPN has gone ahead with this collaboration.
===Controversy===
{{see also|Criticism of ESPN}}
At a roast for co-workers [[Mike Greenberg]] and [[Mike Golic]] in January 2008, an intoxicated [[Dana Jacobson]] cursed the [[University of Notre Dame]], [[Touchdown Jesus]], and [[Jesus Christ]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/life/story/7527559p-7429056c.html |title=Roast of 'Mike and Mike' in Atlantic City runs from brilliant to terrible |publisher=Press of Atlantic City |date=2008-01-12 |accessdate=2008-01-28}}</ref> She also made disparaging remarks about the University of Southern California. ESPN later released a statement apologizing for any offense given to the Notre Dame Football program while not specifically addressing the remarks that Jacobson made nor releasing any video or transcripts of her remarks.
Harold Reynolds was fired from ESPN for an alleged "inappropriate hug" in 2006.<ref> Sports Blog. http://deadspin.com/sports/top/reynolds-confirms-firing-for-sexual-harassment-189928.php</ref>
==Ownership history==
As mentioned, William Rasmussen founded the network. Just before ESPN launched, [[Getty Oil]] Company (later purchased by [[Texaco]], which in turn was acquired by [[Chevron Corporation|Chevron]]) agreed to buy a majority stake in the network.
In 1984, [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] made a deal with Getty Oil to acquire ESPN. ABC retained an 80% share, and sold 20% to [[Nabisco]]. The Nabisco shares were later sold to [[Hearst Corporation]], which still holds a 20% stake today. In 1986, ABC was purchased for $3.5 billion by [[Capital Cities Communications]]. In 1995, [[The Walt Disney Company]] purchased Capital Cities/ABC for $19 billion and picked up an 80% stake in ESPN at that time. According to an analysis published by ''[[Barron's Magazine|Barron's]]'' magazine in February 2008, ESPN "is probably worth more than 40% of Disney's entire value... based on prevailing cash-flow multiples in the industry."
Although ESPN has been operated as a Disney subsidiary since [[1996]], it is still technically a [[joint venture]] between Disney and Hearst.
==High definition telecasts==
[[Image:Hdcset.jpg|thumb|300px|Rece Davis and Linda Cohn on [[June 7]], [[2004]] during the first ever ''[[SportsCenter]]'' in [[high-definition television|High Definition]]]]In 2004, ESPN opened its [[high-definition television|High Definition]] center (more commonly referred to as the "Digital Center") in [[Bristol, Connecticut]]. All Bristol based studio shows, including ''Sportscenter'', ''[[Baseball Tonight]]'', ''[[NFL Live]]'', ''[[NFL PrimeTime]]'', ''[[Sunday NFL Countdown]]'', ''[[Outside the Lines]]'', ''[[NBA Shootaround|Kia NBA Shootaround]]'', ''[[NBA Fastbreak]]'', ''[[College GameNight]]'' and others are broadcast in HD. Also, many of the games that ESPN televises are broadcast in HD. The first program ever broadcast in HD on ESPN was an [[NCAA basketball]] game in 2002, at the [[University of Dayton Arena]]. The first broadcast from the Digital Center was the 11 p.m. ET edition of ''SportsCenter'' with [[Linda Cohn]] and [[Rece Davis]] on [[June 7]], [[2004]].
==Executives==
*[[George Bodenheimer]]: President, ESPN, Inc.<ref> {{cite web | title=The Walt Disney Company - George W. Bodenheimer Executive Biography | url=http://corporate.disney.go.com/corporate/bios/george_bodenheimer.html | publisher=The Walt Disney Company | accessdate=2007-04-07}} </ref>
*Sean Bratches: Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing<ref> {{cite web | title= SEAN R. H. BRATCHES Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing | url=http://media.espn.com/MediaZone/bios/executives/BratchesSean.htm | publisher=media.espn.com | accessdate=2007-04-07}} </ref>
*Christine Driessen: Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer<ref> {{cite web | title=CHRISTINE F. DRIESSEN Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer |url=http://media.espn.com/MediaZone/bios/executives/DriessenChris.html | publisher=media.espn.com | accessdate=2007-04-07}} </ref>
*Edwin Durso: Executive Vice President, Administration<ref> {{cite web | title=EDWIN M. DURSO Executive Vice President, Administration |url=http://media.espn.com/MediaZone/bios/executives/DursoEdwin.htm | publisher=media.espn.com | accessdate=2007-04-07}} </ref>
*Chuck Pagano: Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer<ref>{{cite web | title=CHUCK PAGANO Executive Vice President, Technology | url=http://media.espn.com/MediaZone/bios/executives/PaganoChuck.htm | publisher=media.espn.com | accessdate=2007-04-07}} </ref>
*John Skipper: Executive Vice President, Content<ref>{{cite web | title= JOHN SKIPPER Executive Vice President, Content | url=http://media.espn.com/MediaZone/bios/executives/SkipperJohn.html | publisher=media.espn.com | accessdate=2007-04-07}} </ref>
*[[Norby Williamson]]: Executive Vice President, Studio and Remote Production<ref>{{cite web | title= NORBY WILLIAMSON Executive Vice President, Studio and Remote Production | url=http://media.espn.com/MediaZone/bios/executives/WilliamsonNorby.htm | publisher=media.espn.com | accessdate=2007-04-07}} </ref>
*Russell Wolff: Executive Vice President and Managing Director, ESPN International<ref>{{cite web | title= RUSSELL WOLFF Executive Vice President and Managing Director, ESPN International | url=http://media.espn.com/MediaZone/bios/executives/WolffRussell.htm | publisher=media.espn.com | accessdate=2007-04-07}} </ref>
==Advertisement on ESPN==
Advertising on ESPN is sold out for months in advance. With nearly three-quarters of ESPN's ''SportsCenter'' audience being male, ESPN is a great network to catch the male viewer's attention. Major advertisers such as Apple Inc., FedEx, and United Postal Service are continually buying advertisement to reach the 25-54 year old male audience. ESPN's ad revenue averages $441.8 million with an ad rate of $9,446 per 30 second slot.<ref>ESPN, Encyclopedia Britannica, http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9002482/ESPN</ref>
==ESPN significant programming rights==
[[NFL on Television|The NFL on ESPN]]
*1987–1989 ([[ESPN Sunday Night Football|Sunday Night]]; exclusive cable; second half of season only)
*1990–1997 ([[ESPN Sunday Night Football|Sunday Night]]; second half of season only; [[Turner Network Television|TNT]] carried first half)
*1998–2005 ([[ESPN Sunday Night Football|Sunday Night]]; exclusive cable; entire season, selected Thursday & Saturday night games)
**2003–2005 ([[Pro Bowl]], acquired rights from ABC)
*2006–2013 (''[[Monday Night Football]]'')
[[FIFA]]
*[[FIFA World Cup]]: 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014
*[[FIFA U-17 World Cup]]: 2007
*[[FIFA U-20 World Cup]]: 2007
[[UEFA]]
*[[UEFA Champions League]]: 1994-2009
*[[UEFA European Football Championship]]: 2008
[[ESPN Major League Baseball]]
*1990–2013
[[ESPN Major League Soccer]]
*1996–2014
[[Major Soccer League|Major Indoor Soccer League]]
*1985–1987
*2005 & 2006 (championship games only)
The [[NBA on ESPN]]
*1982–1984
*2002–2016
[[The Arena Football League on ESPN]]
*1989–2002
*2007–2011
[[Little League World Series]]
*1997<ref>{{cite web | title=Little League Chronology | url=http://www.littleleague.org/about/chronology.asp | publisher=Little League Online | accessdate=2007-04-07}} [[ESPN2]] broadcasts started in 1997.</ref>-2014
[[WNBA on ESPN]] (Originally the WNBA on ESPN2)
*1997-2016
[[PGA Tour|PGA Tour on ESPN]]
*1980<sup>(?)</sup>–2006 (Contracts with individual tournaments)
*ESPN or ABC continues to broadcast early round or weekend coverage from [[The Masters]], [[U.S. Open (golf)|U.S. Open]], [[Open Championship]], and [[Ryder Cup]]
[[PBA Tour|PBA Tour presented by Denny's on ESPN]]
*2000-present
[[LPGA Tour|LPGA Tour on ESPN]]
*1979-2009
*Selected majors through deals with their respective sanctioning bodies
[[NASCAR on ESPN]]
*1981<sup></sup>–2000 (Contracts with individual races)
*2007–2014 (Contract with NASCAR)
[[Indy Racing League|The IRL on ESPN]]
*1996–2009
[[NHRA|The NHRA on ESPN]]
*1980<sup>(?)</sup>–2000 (Contracts with individual races)
*2001-2013 (Contract with NHRA)
[[Champ Car World Series|Champ Car World Series on ESPN]]
*1992-2001
*2007 (series merged with IRL, beginning with the 2008 season)
[[ESPN National Hockey Night]]
*1985–1988 (National television deal, agreements with individual clubs as early as 1979)
*1992-2004
[[College football on television|ESPN]] [[ESPN College Football|College Football]]
*[[Bowl game|Bowl Games]]: 1982— (Contracts with individual bowl games)
*[[Atlantic Coast Conference|ACC]]: 1998-2010
*[[Big Ten Conference|Big 10]]: 1979-2013
*Select [[Big 12]] home games: 2007-(?)
*[[Big East Conference|Big East]]: 1991-2013
*[[Conference USA|C-USA]]: 1995-2010
*[[Mid-American Conference|MAC]]: 2003-2007
*Select [[Pac 10]] Home games: 2007-?
*[[Southeastern Conference|SEC]]: (?)-2009
*[[Sun Belt Conference|Sun Belt]]: (?)-2007
*[[Western Athletic Conference|WAC]]: (?)-2009
*[[NCAA]] Division I FCS (formerly Division I-AA), Division II, and Division III playoffs (selected games) and championship games.
[[College basketball|ESPN College Basketball]]
*[[NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship|NCAA Tournament]]: 1980–1990 (Contract with [[NCAA]])
*[[Atlantic Coast Conference|ACC]] (some telecasts, including games in the conference tournament, are blacked out in ACC markets):
*[[Big Ten Conference|Big 10]]: 1979-2017
*[[Big 12 Conference|Big 12]]: 2008-2016, ESPN Plus (ESPN Plus has exclusive rights to some games in Big 12 markets to protect stations purchasing its syndicated package)
*[[Big East Conference|Big East]]: 1979-2013, ESPN Plus
[[Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest]]: 2003-2007
ESPN also broadcasts a range of [[horse racing]] and tennis events. It may sometimes acquire the rights to programming in other sports which airs only on [[ESPN 360]], usually because another broadcaster holds the TV rights.
==Music==
ESPN has had its own theme music for quite a few years, but early on it used source music.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} An early theme for its flagship ''SportsCenter'' program was "[[Pulstar]]," an energetic electronic instrumental piece by [[Vangelis]] from his 1976 album ''[[Albedo 0.39]]''. It would play while computer animation of baseballs, footballs, soccer balls, etc., would fly out from the center of the TV screen in all directions.{{Fact|date=February 2007}}
The current theme music on ''[[SportsCenter]]'' was composed by [[Annie Roboff]], a composer who also co-wrote [[Faith Hill]]'s [[1998]] hit "[[This Kiss]]."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.geocities.com/aroboff/Annie.htm |title= Official Annie Roboff Home Page|accessdate=2007-06-19 |last=Roboff |first=Annie }}</ref>
==ESPN in popular culture==
ESPN has become a part of popular culture since its inception. Many movies with a general sports theme will include ESPN announcers and programming into their storylines (such as in ''[[Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story]]'', which gently lampoons the channel's multiple outlets by referencing the as-yet-nonexistent ESPN8, "The Ocho"); also, ESPN.com Page 2 columnist Bill Simmons often jokes that he is looking forward to running a future network in any given column; ''SportsCenter'' anchors appeared as themselves in [[music video]]s by Brad Paisley ("[[I'm Gonna Miss Her (The Fishin' Song)]]") and [[Hootie and the Blowfish]] ("Only Wanna Be With You"); and the short-lived 1998 TV series ''[[Sports Night]]'' (by [[The West Wing (TV series)|''West Wing'']] creator [[Aaron Sorkin]]) was based around an ESPN-style network and its titular, ''SportsCenter''-analogue flagship sports results program.
Many jokes have been made by comedians about fake obscure sports that are shown on ESPN. [[Dennis Miller]] mentioned watching "[[sumo]] [[rodeo]]," while [[George Carlin]] stated that ESPN showed "Australian [[penis|dick]] [[wrestling]]". One of several ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' skits poking fun at the network features ESPN 2 airing a show called ''Scottish Soccer Hooligan Weekly'', which includes a fake advertisement for "Senior Women's Beach Lacrosse."
There are at least 22 children named after the network.<ref>NBC Sports, http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/15168029/, retrieved 4-8-2008
</ref><ref name="names">{{cite news|url= http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=1829996|publisher=ESPN|title=Texas toddler at least third named ESPN|date=2006-06-16}}</ref><ref name="">{{cite web
|url=http://usatoday.com/sports/columnist/hiestand-tv/2006-02-07-hiestand-lampley_x.htm
|title=Lampley nearing most-called Olympics
|accessdate=2008-05-09
|last=Hiestand
|first=Michael
|date=2006-02-07
|publisher=USA Today
|quote=ESPN says it's heard of at least 22 babies named ESPN.}}</ref>
==ESPN business ventures==
===Current===
*[[ESPN.com]] (1995–present)
*[[ESPNSTAR.com]] (2002–present)
*[[ESPNU|ESPNU.com]] (2005-present)
*[[The ESPN Sports Poll]] (1994-present)
*[[ESPN The Magazine]] (1998–present)
*[[ESPN Deportes La Revista]] (2005–present)
*[[ESPN Original Entertainment]] (2001–present)
*[[ESPN Books]] (2004–present)
*[[ESPN Zone]] (1998–present)
*[[ESPY Awards]] (1993–present)
*[[ESPN Integration]] (2006–present)
*[[ESPN Online Games]] (2006–present)
*[[ESPN Broadband]] (2002–present)
*Partial interest in the [[Arena Football League]] (2006–present, in exchange for television rights).
===Former===
*[[Mobile ESPN]] (2006)
==The ESPN family of networks==
===Television===
*ESPN (1979–present)
*[[ESPN International]] (1989–present)
*[[ESPN2]] (1993–present)
*[[ESPN Brasil]] (1995–present)
*[[ESPNEWS]] (1996–present)
*[[ESPNEWSHD]] (2008–present)
*[[ESPN Classic]] (1997–present)
*[[ESPN Classic Canada]] (2001–present)
*[[ESPNHD]] (2003–present)
*[[ESPN Deportes]] (2004–present)
*[[ESPNU]] (2005–present)
*[[ESPN2HD]] (2005–present)
*[[ESPN on ABC]] (2006-present, replacing ABC Sports)
*[[ESPN Plus]] (–present)
*[[ESPN PPV]] (–present)
*[[ESPN Australia HD]] (2008–present)
====ESPN Now====
{{Infobox_TV_channel|
name = ESPN Now|
owner = [[The Walt Disney Company]] (80%)<br>[[Hearst Corporation]] (20%)|
country = {{USA}}|
language = [[American English]]|
website = [http://espn.go.com/tvlistings/networks/espnnow.html ESPN Now]|
picture format = [[480i]] ([[SDTV]])|
}}
'''ESPN Now''' was a former rolling [[digital cable]] [[barker channel]] which aired from 2001-2004 and featured a scoring ticker, along with ESPN and [[Go.com]] promotional advertising. It mainly was used to promote ESPN's college sports [[pay per view]] packages to viewers. The channel was eventually discontinued with the rise of [[video on demand]].
===Internet===
*[[ESPN Broadband#ESPN Motion|ESPN Motion]] (2003–present)
*[[ESPN 360]] (2005–present)
*[[ESPN.com]]
*[http://www.espn.mobi/ ESPN.mobi]
*[http://www.espndeportes.com/ ESPNdeportes.com]
*[http://www.espn.com.br/ ESPN.com in Portuguese for Brazil]
*[[ESPNsoccernet|Soccernet]]
*[http://www.cricinfo.com/ Cricinfo.com]
*[http://www.scrum.com/ Scrum.com]
*[http://expn.go.com EXPN.com]
===Radio===
*[[ESPN Radio]] (1992–present)
*[[ESPN Deportes Radio]] (2005–present)
*[[Rádio Eldorado ESPN]] (2007–present)
==Network-wide Preemption==
Several times ESPN programing has been drastically altered because of coverage of world events.
Both ESPN and ESPN2 carried [[ABC News]] coverage of the [[September 11, 2001 attacks]]. The only original program produced after the preemption was a shortened 6pm edition of ''Sportscenter'' which focused on covering the cancellations of sporting events in reaction to the terror attacks.
ESPN carried the first round of the 2003 NCAA Basketball Tournament due to [[CBS]]'s coverage of the first few days of the [[Invasion of Iraq]]. The games were still produced by CBS. The only identifiers of ESPN was their bottomline graphic.
==References==
{{reflist}}
== See also ==
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:TSN-2006-NHL-Draft.jpg|thumb|220px|right|[[The Sports Network|TSN]] is partially owned by ESPN. The appearance of the "BottomLine" ticker and logo are identical on both networks.]] -->
* [[List of programs broadcast by ESPN]]
* [[List of ESPN personalities]]
* [[ESPN Australia]]
* [[ESPN Full Circle]]
*''[[SportsCenter]]''
*''[[ESPN Major League Baseball]]''
*''[[ESPN2 Major League Soccer]]''
*''[[NASCAR on ESPN]]''
*''[[WNBA on ESPN]]''
*''[[The NBA on ESPN]]''
* [[ESPN auto racing broadcast teams]]
* [[ESPN College Basketball Broadcast Teams]]
* [[ESPN College Football Broadcast Teams]]
* [[ESPN MLB Broadcast Teams]]
* [[ESPN NBA Broadcast Teams]]
* [[ESPN MLS/Soccer Broadcast Teams]] ([[FIFA World Cup]] Included)
* [[List of assets owned by Disney]]
* [[The Sports Network|TSN]]
* [[Dish Network Channel Grid]]
* [[List of DirecTV channels]]
* [[Wieden+Kennedy]]
==External links==
* [http://www.espn.com ESPN.com] Official Site
* [http://ESPN.mobi ESPN.mobi] Official Mobile Site
* [http://videos.espn.com/ ESPN Video Archive] Official ESPN Video Archive
* [http://www.espn.com.ar/ ESPN Argentina]
* [http://www.espn.com.br/ ESPN Brasil]
* [http://www.espnstar.com/ ESPN STAR Sports (Asia)]
* [http://www.espnfanzone.com ESPN Fan Zone] (Official ESPN Research via Surveys and Forums)
* [http://www.sportsbusinessnews.com/_news/news_355582.php The King of all Sports Media – ESPN] [http://www.sportsbusinessnews.com Sports Business News] [[December 20]], [[2006]]
{{ESPN|show=yes}}
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{{Subscription television channels in Australia}}
{{Webby Awards|cat=Sports|type=Nominee|year=1998}}
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[[Category:ESPN media outlets]]
[[Category:Walt Disney Company subsidiaries]]
[[Category:Companies without an unabbreviated name]]
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[[Category:Companies based in Hartford County, Connecticut]]
[[Category:Sports television]]
[[Category:Cable TV of Hong Kong]]
[[ca:ESPN]]
[[de:ESPN]]
[[es:ESPN]]
[[fr:ESPN]]
[[ko:ESPN]]
[[id:ESPN]]
[[it:ESPN]]
[[he:ESPN]]
[[ms:ESPN]]
[[nl:ESPN]]
[[ja:ESPN]]
[[pl:ESPN]]
[[pt:ESPN]]
[[ru:ESPN]]
[[simple:ESPN]]
[[sl:ESPN]]
[[fi:ESPN]]
[[sv:ESPN]]
[[tl:ESPN]]
[[vi:ESPN]]
[[zh:ESPN]]