Disney is exploring the sale of a minority stake in ESPN to the NFL, the NBA and/or the MLB, according to reports last week from the New York Times and CNBC.
Disney CEO Bob Iger said in a recent interview on CNBC that he is considering selling equity positions in ESPN to strategic business partners as Disney prepares to migrate the flagship sports network to the ESPN+ direct-to-consumer platform. Disney is the majority owner of ESPN with Hearst already holding a 20% stake.
Disney is reportedly in need of a cash infusion in the face of its recently under performing movie/television production and amusement park businesses. At the same time, it is facing a major financial commitment to purchase a larger stake in hulu, and ESPN faces costly upcoming content rights renewals with sports leagues, including the NBA.
Samsung 2023 S95C 4K Quantum OLED TVs
Samsung 2022 QD OLED Now On Sale
Shop Wireless Speakers and Speaker Systems at SVSound.com
Save on eligible LG Appliance Packages during Abt’s Savings Event!
See What Your 4K UHD TV Can Really Do With The Spears & Munsil 2023 4K UHD Blu-ray Disc.
Portrait Displays Calman Display Calibration Software Available Here
Amazon’s Best Selling 4K Ultra HDTVs
Amazon’s Camera, Photo & Video Deals
Amazon Fire TV Cube Media Adapter with Alexa
Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max with Alexa Voice Remote
Amazon Echo Smart Speaker with Premium Sound, Alexa Voice Control
Amazon Echo Show 15 Alexa Voice Controlled Smart Screen
Amazon Echo Dot with Clock Voice Controlled Speaker
Amazon Echo Studio 3D Audio Alexia Smart Speaker
Best Selling Soundbars and 5.1 Surround Systems
CNBC reported that Iger and ESPN President Jimmy Pitaro have spoken with the National Football League (NFL), the National Basketball Association (NBA) and Major League Baseball (MLB) about the proposal.
According to reports, talks with the NFL have also involved the league’s desire to sell a stake in its NFL Media business, which controls NFL Network, NFL.com and NFL RedZone.
ESPN has so far not confirmed any timeline for a migration to a direct-to-consumer model for ESPN. The network’s history has been intimately tied to cable and satellite pay-TV distribution, from which the sports network has enjoyed as much as $10 per month from every cable subscriber, whether they want the sports content or not.
Online purchases made using links provided on this site might generate a small commission for HD Guru.com. We thank you for your support!
By Greg Tarr
Have a question for the HD Guru? HD GURU|Email
Copyright ©2023 HD Guru Inc. All rights reserved. HD GURU is a registered trademark.
Stay connected