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Disney Has Decided to Hang Onto ESPN - Business Insider
Exclusive Disney is no longer planning to spin off ESPN By Peter Kafka You're currently following this author! Want to unfollow? Unsubscribe via the link in your email. Chief Correspondent covering media and technology Disney CEO Josh D'Amaro has decided to hang on to ESPN, according to people familiar with the matter. It's one of the first big calls of his tenure. Bloomberg/Getty Images 2026-04-28T20:51:22.996Z ESPN used to be one of the most important assets in media. That's changed, because the media world has changed, and Disney has debated spinning out ESPN as a stand-alone company. But new CEO Josh D'Amaro has decided to keep ESPN in-house, for now. Disney has decided against spinning off ESPN, people familiar with the matter told Business Insider, in one of the first major calls of new CEO Josh D'Amaro's tenure. The question of whether Disney would turn ESPN into a stand-alone company has hung over the company for years, as some investors and analysts argued that the declining cable business was a drag on the larger company's value.Instead, the sports network will stay inside the media giant, which thinks its presence will help its pivot to streaming, the people said. Why Disney is more expensive than ever Disney is facing a probe by the Federal Communications Commission into its ABC broadcast licenses, a review that was announced a day after President Donald Trump called on the company to fire comedian Jimmy Kimmel.D'Amaro could revisit his decision on ESPN in the future, people inside the company noted. But at the moment, it's a non-discussion, I'm told. That means Disney will continue with efforts to offer ESPN to customers in multiple ways: as part of its traditional cable bundle, as part of a streaming bundle with Hulu and Disney+, and as a streaming service, And it may also look for other partners to take minority interests in the company, like it did when it sold a 10% stake in the company to the NFL last year.Disney executives, including former CEO Bob Iger, have repeatedly described ESPN as a "core" asset, but have also never fully closed the door to a sale. I've asked Disney for comment; an ESPN rep declined to comment.The fact that Disney has previously discussed whether ESPN should remain inside the company shows you just how much the media landscape has changed in the last decade.For years, ESPN was a profit-making colossus that could charge cable distributors just about anything it wanted, and spent freely to lock up sport...
YouTube TV loses ESPN, ABC, and all other Disney-owned channels ...
YouTube TV customers have lost access to all Disney-owned channels including ESPN and ABC, as the companies failed to agree on a new contract before the previous one expired last night. YouTube TV customers will automatically get a $15-per-month discount for as long as the Disney channels remain blacked out, reducing the base plan cost from $65 to $50."Members, we worked hard to avoid this but were unable to reach a fair deal with Disney," YouTube TV said. "We regret to share that as of December 17, all Disney-owned channels are unavailable on YouTube TV. While Disney content remains off our platform, we'll decrease our price by $15/month. We know how frustrating it is to lose channels like ESPN and your local ABC station, and will continue conversations with Disney in hopes of restoring their content for you."The list of channels no longer on YouTube TV includes all local ABC channels, ABC News Live, Disney Channel, Disney Junior, Disney XD, Freeform, FX, FXX, FXM, National Geographic, National Geographic Wild, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, SEC Network, and ACC Network. YouTube TV posted details on how credits will be issued on this webpage."If you want to continue watching some of Disney's content, consider signing up for their own service, The Disney Bundle, which they offer for $13.99/month and which is subject to its own terms and restrictions," YouTube TV said.YouTube TV sought price guaranteeAs we reported a few days ago, the Google-owned YouTube TV was seeking a most-favored-nation (MFN) clause from Disney. "Our ask to Disney, as with all our partners, is to treat YouTube TV like any other TV provider—by offering us the same rates that services of a similar size pay, across Disney's channels for as long as we carry them," YouTube TV said at the time.YouTube TV nearly lost NBCUniversal channels in another recent dispute. But in that case, YouTube and NBC agreed to a short extension to avoid a blackout when the original contract expired, and then struck a new multiyear deal.There was no extension to prevent a blackout in the ongoing YouTube TV/Disney dispute, but both companies said they still hope to reach a new agreement."We've been in ongoing negotiations with Google's YouTube TV and unfortunately, they have declined to reach a fair deal with us based on market terms and conditions," Disney said in a statement sent to news outlets. "As a result, their subscribers have lost access to our unrivaled portfolio of networks including live sports and news...
FCC prepares review of Disney's TV licenses, Semafor reports
The Federal Communications Commission is moving toward a review of Disney's broadcast licenses, Semafor reported on Tuesday, a development that could pressure the ABC owner amid a row between ...
Carr throws ABC licenses into jeopardy in clash with Disney
Carr throws ABC licenses into jeopardy in clash with Disney The filing does not mention the latest Jimmy Kimmel uproar, and instead nods to long-running complaints about Disney's diversity policies.
