ESPN
Sports media
Sports TV networks and the ESPN streaming service in the U.S. and abroad, carrying live games, SportsCenter and studio shows, plus ESPN on ABC.
Sports mediaSince 1979Bristol, USA
How it started
Came with Capital Cities/ABC.
1996bought by The Walt Disney Company
ESPN was part of Capital Cities/ABC, which Disney acquired in February 1996; Hearst kept a minority stake, and the NFL took 10% in January 2026.
How big it is
How big is ESPN?
$17.6BESPN revenueFY2025
$2.8BESPN operating incomeFY2025
Its place in The Walt Disney Company
Almost one in five Disney dollars.
18.7%of Disney revenuesFY2025
ESPN is the core of Disney's Sports segment, feeding live sports to ABC, Disney+ and Hulu; Disney owns 72%, Hearst 18% and the NFL 10%.
Who it competes with
FFox SportsNNBC SportsCCBS SportsDDAZN
What The Walt Disney Company does not disclose
- Value assigned to ESPN within the $19B Capital Cities/ABC deal
- ESPN streaming subscribers
- ESPN results after the NFL Network deal for a full year
The group behind itThe Walt Disney Company
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Sources
Every number on this page comes from The Walt Disney Company's own reports.
- The Walt Disney Company Form 8-K: completion of the acquisition of Capital Cities/ABC, Inc. on February 9, … ↗
- The Walt Disney Company Form 10-K for fiscal 2025 (year ended September 27, 2025): business description, Sp… ↗
- The Walt Disney Company Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 27, 2026: NFL Transaction closed January 31, 2… ↗
- About ESPN ↗
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