ESPN International

{{short description|International outlets of ESPN}}

{{Infobox brand

| name = ESPN International

| logo = ESPN International logo.svg

| logo_caption =

| logo_size = 220px

| producttype = Television networks

| currentowner = ESPN Inc.
(The Walt Disney Company 80%, Hearst Communications 20%)

| country = United States

| producedby = Bill Rasmussen

| introduced ={{Start date and age|1983}}

| discontinued =

| markets = Africa
Asia
Brazil
Canada
Caribbean
Germany
Latin America
Middle East
Netherlands
Israel
Italy
Indian subcontinent
Japan
Oceania
Philippines
South Korea
United Kingdom

| previousowners = Bill Rasmussen
Capital Cities/ABC

}}

ESPN International is a family of sportscasting and production networks around the world. It was begun in 1983, is operated by ESPN Inc. and owned by The Walt Disney Company.

Current operations

= Canada =

{{main|The Sports Network|Réseau des sports}}

{{multiple image

| width = 150

| image1 = TSN Logo.svg

| alt1 = TSN logo

| image2 = RDS logo.svg

| alt2 = RDS logo

| footer = Logos of TSN (left) and RDS (right). Although these channels have kept their original brands after ESPN acquired part-ownership, they now have ESPN-style logos

}}

ESPN International does not directly operate its own channels in Canada, but owns a 20 percent voting interest (and slightly larger equity interest) in CTV Specialty Television, a subsidiary of the Canadian media company Bell Media. Canadian regulations on the foreign ownership of broadcasters prohibit ESPN from acquiring majority interest.

Although these channels have retained their local brands (ESPN having acquired part-ownership several years after TSN and RDS launched), they adopted ESPN-style logos in 2001, and use other ESPN branding elements such as the SportsCentre title for TSN's sports highlights programs. CTV Specialty also operated a Canadian version of ESPN Classic from 2001 to 2023.

Through CTV Specialty, ESPN also has an indirect interest in the Canadian version of USA Network and several CTV-branded factual channels. These holdings, all operated in association with Warner Bros. Discovery until December 2024, date to CTV Specialty's previous incarnations as Labatt Communications and later as NetStar Communications, in which ESPN also held a minority interest. Disney/ESPN is not believed to have any direct involvement with these channels, two of which (CTV Nature Channel and CTV Wild Channel) compete directly with Disney's National Geographic brand which is separately licensed to Corus Entertainment in Canada. However, after rebranding in 2025, USA Network began airing some overflow sports programming sublicensed from TSN.

ESPN is also indirectly associated with TSN Radio, a brand used by several sports radio stations (each wholly owned by Bell Media), each of which also carries a limited amount of ESPN Radio programming.

= Latin America =

{{main|ESPN (Latin America)}}

== Spanish-speaking countries ==

  • ESPN North (Mexico, Central America and Dominican Republic) (2 feeds)
  • ESPN South (South America) (4 feeds)
  • ESPN2 North (Mexico, Central America and Dominican Republic) (2 feeds)
  • ESPN2 South (South America) (4 feeds)
  • ESPN3 North (Mexico, Central America and Dominican Republic)
  • ESPN3 South (South America) (2 feeds)
  • ESPN4 North (Mexico, Central America and Dominican Republic) (2 feeds)
  • ESPN4 South (South America)
  • ESPN5 Central America (Central America and Dominican Republic)
  • ESPN5 South (South America, except Argentina) (2 feeds)
  • ESPN6 (Central America, Dominican Republic and South America, except Argentina)
  • ESPN7 (South America, except Argentina)
  • ESPN Premium (Argentina and Chile) (2 feeds)

== Brazil ==

{{main|ESPN (Brazil)}}

  • ESPN
  • ESPN2
  • ESPN3
  • ESPN4
  • ESPN5
  • ESPN6

== Caribbean ==

{{main|ESPN Caribbean}}

  • ESPN
  • ESPN2
  • ESPN Extra

= Netherlands =

{{main|ESPN (Netherlands)}}

  • ESPN
  • ESPN2
  • ESPN3
  • ESPN4
  • ESPN Ultra HD

= Oceania =

{{main|ESPN Australia}}

  • ESPN
  • ESPN2

= Sub-Saharan Africa =

{{main|ESPN Africa}}

  • ESPN
  • ESPN2

= Japan =

{{main|J Sports}}

Former operations

=Asia-Pacific=

In June 2012, News Corporation announced it would acquire ESPN's 50% stake in its joint venture ESPN Star Sports.{{cite web|title=News Corp. to Buy Out ESPN's Stake in Asian TV Venture|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/news-corp-buy-espn-asia-stake-334177|website=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=17 July 2015|archive-date=25 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150725192038/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/news-corp-buy-espn-asia-stake-334177|url-status=live}} Following the takeover, ESPN in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Southeast Asia was relaunched as Fox Sports in January 2013,{{cite web |url=http://www.spin.ph/sports/multi-sport-events/news/espn-fades-off-in-asia-as-fox-sports-takes-over |title=Fox Sports buys ESPN'S Asia TV channels |publisher=Spin |date=2013-01-09 |access-date=2013-11-02 |archive-date=2013-11-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131104081446/http://www.spin.ph/sports/multi-sport-events/news/espn-fades-off-in-asia-as-fox-sports-takes-over |url-status=live }} while a version for Mainland China became Star Sports 2 in January 2014.

=Canada=

=Europe=

=MENA and Israel=

=South Korea=

=Indian subcontinent=

In January 2013, Star India acquired ESPN India from ESPN Star Sports,{{cite news |title=ESPN STAR Sports to be under STAR in India |url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/espn-star-sports-to-be-under-star-in-india-113012800056_1.html |access-date=8 January 2019 |work=Business Standard |date=January 28, 2013 |archive-date=8 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190108201238/https://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/espn-star-sports-to-be-under-star-in-india-113012800056_1.html |url-status=live }} but kept ESPN brand for a while.{{cite news |last1=Engineer |first1=Tariq |title=As ESPN turns to Fox, expect more local Indian sports programming |url=https://www.firstpost.com/sports/as-espn-turns-to-fox-expect-more-local-indian-sports-programming-608585.html |access-date=8 January 2019 |work=Firstpost |date=31 January 2013 |archive-date=8 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190108202856/https://www.firstpost.com/sports/as-espn-turns-to-fox-expect-more-local-indian-sports-programming-608585.html |url-status=live }} ESPN International later established a partnership with what is now Sony Pictures Networks India in October 2015, and relaunched Sony Kix as Sony ESPN in January 2016. Sony ESPN was shut down in March 2020.

=Germany=

  • ESPN

=Philippines=

=United Kingdom=

{{main|ESPN in the United Kingdom}}

ESPN launched ESPN Classic in 2006. The company bought the North American Sports Network (NASN) in 2007, and renamed it ESPN America in 2009. Also in 2009, it launched the domestic network ESPN UK after securing rights to the Premier League.{{cite web|date=22 June 2009|title=ESPN snaps up Premier League TV packages|url=http://www.espnfc.com/story/656557/espn-snaps-up-premier-league-tv-packages|publisher=ESPNsoccernet|access-date=10 April 2021|archive-date=23 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191223043513/http://www.espnfc.com/story/656557/espn-snaps-up-premier-league-tv-packages|url-status=live}}

In February 2013, BT Group acquired ESPN's UK and Ireland television channel and remaining broadcasting contracts. Its domestic channel was re-branded as BT Sport ESPN, integrating it with the company's BT Sport channel group. In January 2015, BT Sport and ESPN reached a seven-year agreement to continue licensing ESPN's brand for the channel, as well as British rights to ESPN original programming and events whose international rights were owned by ESPN International. The agreement also allowed for joint digital media initiatives between the two companies.{{cite web|title=BT Sport and ESPN deepen relationship with long-term collaboration|url=http://www.btplc.com/news/articles/showarticle.cfm?articleid=%7B60a32774-3b2c-4b26-90de-44a829925ea7%7D|publisher=BT plc|access-date=17 July 2015|archive-date=2 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150702130836/http://www.btplc.com/news/articles/showarticle.cfm?articleid=%7B60a32774-3b2c-4b26-90de-44a829925ea7%7D|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2013/feb/25/espn-bt-vision|title=BT buys ESPN'S UK and Ireland TV channels|work=The Guardian|date=25 February 2013|access-date=16 March 2013|archive-date=23 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123032120/https://www.theguardian.com/media/2013/feb/25/espn-bt-vision|url-status=live}} On 1 August 2022, after Warner Bros. Discovery acquired a 50% stake in BT Sport from BT Group, BT Sport ESPN was renamed BT Sport 4,{{cite news |last1=Metz |first1=Axel |date=12 May 2022 |title=BT Sport subscribers to get major package upgrade completely free of charge |publisher=TechRadar |url=https://www.techradar.com/uk/news/bt-sport-subscribers-to-get-major-package-upgrade-completely-free-of-charge |access-date=12 May 2022 |archive-date=12 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220512105201/https://www.techradar.com/uk/news/bt-sport-subscribers-to-get-major-package-upgrade-completely-free-of-charge |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Frater |first=Patrick |date=2022-05-12 |title=Warner Bros. Discovery and BT to Launch Sports Venture in U.K. and Ireland |url=https://variety.com/2022/tv/global/warner-bros-discovery-bt-sports-uk-ireland-1235264924/ |access-date=2022-05-16 |website=Variety |language=en-US |archive-date=2022-05-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220516214447/https://variety.com/2022/tv/global/warner-bros-discovery-bt-sports-uk-ireland-1235264924/ |url-status=live }} and began to phase out its focus on U.S. sports, with ESPN programming ending altogether when TNT Sports replaced BT Sport in July 2023. In November 2023, ESPN announced an agreement with Sky Sports to sub-license college football and basketball coverage.{{Cite web |title=Sky Sports secures rights to show NCAA College Football and Basketball |url=https://www.skysports.com/nfl/news/12118/13010262/sky-sports-secure-rights-to-show-ncaa-college-football-until-the-end-of-2024-25-season |access-date=2023-11-19 |website=Sky Sports |language=en}}

References

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