Disney’s new vision for ESPN might include part ownership by the NBA, NFL
Disney wants to transition ESPN from linear TV to streaming — and the NBA and NFL might be the partners that help the company do that. According to CNBC, Disney CEO Bob Iger and ESPN leader Jimmy Pitaro held talks with both leagues about bringing them on as minority investors in the sports network.
In an interview with CNBC last week, Iger hinted at selling some of Disney’s linear TV assets like ABC but noted sports content on ESPN still “stands very, very tall” with the ability to reach millions of people. However, when asked about bringing ESPN to streaming, Iger mentioned having “strategic partners” that could help complete that shift away from cable.
“We’re going to be open-minded about looking for strategic partners”
“We’re going to be open-minded about looking for strategic partners that could either help us with distribution or content,” Iger said. “I’m not gonna get too detailed about it, but we’re bullish about sports in general as a media property.”
If the sports leagues decide to take a stake in ESPN, CNBC points out that this could ruffle the feathers of some of Disney’s rivals, such as NBCUniversal and Fox, as it may result in the teams working more closely with ESPN rather than other networks. It might mean less money for the NFL and NBA, too, which often strike lucrative deals with several media partners during the season.
Disney wants to transition ESPN from linear TV to streaming — and the NBA and NFL might be the partners that help the company do that. According to CNBC, Disney CEO Bob Iger and ESPN leader Jimmy Pitaro held talks with both leagues about bringing them on as minority investors…
Recent Posts
- LaCie 8big Pro5 review: I tested LaCie’s huge 256TB DAS solution, and it’s ideal for 8K video editing but it comes with a price tag that’s just as big
- Buying your dad a tech gift or gadget for Father’s Day? You may want to wait until Prime Day, if possible
- Which Amazon Fire Stick do I need? A simple guide to the key differences
- Stellar Blade’s slick-looking sequel is officially called Blood Rain
- How much data does your favorite messaging app collect? New study shows 90% of messaging apps now include AI that puts privacy at risk
Archives
- June 2026
- May 2026
- April 2026
- March 2026
- February 2026
- January 2026
- December 2025
- November 2025
- October 2025
- September 2025
- August 2025
- July 2025
- June 2025
- May 2025
- April 2025
- March 2025
- February 2025
- January 2025
- December 2024
- November 2024
- October 2024
- September 2024
- August 2024
- July 2024
- June 2024
- May 2024
- April 2024
- March 2024
- February 2024
- January 2024
- December 2023
- November 2023
- October 2023
- September 2023
- August 2023
- July 2023
- June 2023