ESPN Inc.

ESPN Inc. is owned by Walt Disney Company.

George W. Bodenheimer is the CEO of ESPN Inc..

ESPN, originally known as the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, is an American cable television network dedicated to broadcasting sports-related programming 24 hours a day. It was founded by Bill Rasmussen and his son Scott Rasmussen, and launched on September 7, 1979. Its signature telecast, SportsCenter, debuted with the network and aired its 25,000th episode on August 25, 2002.

ESPN broadcasts primarily out of its studios in Bristol, Connecticut and is available in over 77 million homes in the United States. The name of the company was shortened to "ESPN Inc." in February 1985.

ESPN started as an alternative to the short sports segments in standard television news broadcasts and the information found in sports sections of newspapers. Early on, ESPN often had to broadcast unorthodox sporting events, such as tractor pulls; international sport relatively unknown in the US such as Australian Rules Football, as well as the short-lived United States Football League (USFL), to attract viewers. In 1987, ESPN landed a contract to show National Football League games on Sunday evenings, an event which marked a turning point in turning ESPN from a small cable TV network into a marketing empire.

ESPN was originally owned by a joint venture between Getty Oil Company (which was purchased by Texaco) and Nabisco. Today the entire family of ESPN networks and franchises is majority owned by the ABC Television Network (80%), which is a part of The Walt Disney Company. Hearst Corporation holds a minority interest (20%).

Contact Information

Telephone:	860.585.2000
Address:	935 Middle Street Bristol CT 06011 USA

National Media Properties

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Bassmaster Magazine

ESPN

ESPN Classic

ESPN The Magazine Magazine

Comments about ESPN Inc.

Comments to date: 5. The most recent comments are below.


Micah Watts Duluth, USA	Posted at 3:29pm on Monday, May 18th, 2009
Our company Universal Wrestling Archives, Inc. has the exclusive rights to Mid-South Wrestling, Power Pro Wrestling & Universal Wrestling Federation from the "Cowboy" Bill Watts territories. We would like to see if ESPN Classic is interested in airing our shows? We have over 275 1-hour format shows ready for air. wwww.universalwrestling.com look forward to hearing from you soon.


Judy Justice Aiken, South Carolina	Posted at 8:50pm on Wednesday, February 11th, 2009
Dear Mr. Bodenheimer: I can't put into words how irrate that your company decided to blackout on the eastcoast the broadcast of the Duke/NC basketball game--only ESPN360 customers had access to the broadcast. Then to add insult to injury, the tape running across the botton of the ESPND screen continued to adverise the game as being broadcast. I am not sure how many KState/Texas Tech fans there are in NC/SC, but this is one fan that will not be watching ESPN or supporting your sponsors who adverise their products on your network. I paid to view this game through my cable and feel that I was ripped off by both companies. Shame on you for not feeling you had a commitment to your customers to offer the best service possible.


Mary Van Horn Cranford, new Jersey	Posted at 8:28am on Friday, November 21st, 2008
I feel that including poker as part of your programs and including tournaments as part of your broadcasting has undermined the reputation of your company. This has been a terrible example to the teens of America and I urge you to take this off the air. I feel there will be a significant increase in gambling addictions in young people with the addition of poker as part of ESPN. This should not be able to made available for viewing with the regular ESPN station and should be a separate purchase at best.


Ron Baker Los Angeles, USA	Posted at 5:12pm on Wednesday, February 6th, 2008
I am really enjoying broadcast of UWF classic wrestling on ESPN Classic. Many of us are sick of the acrobatic soap opera that has become pro wrestling today. I imagine you think of the UWF as filler but I hope you will continue to broadcast the old school type work from the 70's, 80's & early 90's. I can only wish it aired a little earlier.


Frank M. Harris, Jr. 3001 N. Declaration Cour	Posted at 8:39am on Monday, June 4th, 2007
Please change my address, effective immediately. OLD ADDRESS: PSC 303 BOX 26, ATTN: PA RSC-K, APO AP 96204; NEW ADDRESS: 3001 N. Declaration Court, Waldorf, MD 20603. Thank you.

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