ESPN

YouTube TV customers are bracing for another frustrating weekend.

For the last week, YouTube TV’s 10 million subscribers have been denied access to ESPN, ABC and other Walt Disney Co. channels in a dispute that has swelled into one of the largest TV blackouts in a decade. Instead of turning on “College GameDay,” “Monday Night Football” or “Dancing With the Stars,” customers have been greeted with a grim message: “Disney channels are unavailable.”

The standoff began Oct. 30 when the two behemoths hit an impasse in their negotiations over a new distribution contract covering Disney’s channels and ABC stations.

Google, which owns YouTube, has rebuffed Disney’s demands for fee increases for ESPN, ABC and other channels. The Burbank entertainment giant has been seeking a revenue boost to support its content production and streaming ambitions, and help pay for ESPN’s gargantuan sports rights deals.

Talks are ongoing, but the two sides remain apart on major issues — prolonging the stalemate.

“Everyone is kind of sick of these big-time companies trying to get the best of one another,” said Nick Newton, 30, who lives near San Francisco and subscribes to YouTube TV. “The people who are suffering are the middle-class and lower-class people that just love sports … because it’s our escape from the real world.”

Both companies declined to comment for this article.

The skirmish is just the latest between YouTube and programming companies. Since August, Rupert Murdoch’s Fox Corp., Comcast’s NBCUniversal and Spanish-language broadcaster TelevisaUnivision have all complained that YouTube TV was trying to use its market muscle to squeeze them for concessions.

Here’s a look at what’s driving the escalating tensions:

Google’s growing clout in television

The struggle between Disney and YouTube reflects television’s fast-shifting dynamics.

Disney has long entered carriage negotiations with tremendous leverage, in large part because it owns ESPN, which is a must-have channel for legions of sports fans.

Programmers, including Disney, structured their distribution contracts to expire near a pivotal programming event, such as a new season of NFL football. The timing motivated both sides to quickly reach a deal rather than risk alienating customers.

But for Google’s parent, Alphabet, YouTube TV is just a sliver of their business. The tech company generated $350 billion in revenue last year, the vast majority coming from Google search and advertising. That gives YouTube a longer leash to hold out for contract terms it finds acceptable.

“This dispute is not that painful for Google,” said analyst Richard Greenfield of LightShed Partners, noting that YouTube TV could probably withstand “two weekends without college football, and two weeks without ‘Monday Night Football’ — as long as their consumers stay with them.”

Disney, however, depends on TV advertising and pay-TV distribution fees. The week-long blackout has already dampened TV ratings, which means less revenue for the company.

Consumers like YouTube TV

For decades, throngs of consumers loathed their cable company — a sentiment that Disney and other programmers were able to use in their favor in past battles. Customer defections prompted several pay-TV companies to find a compromise to restore the darkened TV channels and stanch the subscriber bleeding.

But YouTube is banking on a more loyal user base, including millions of customers who switched to the service from higher-priced legacy providers.

“I’ll stick this thing out with YouTube TV,” Newton said, adding that he hoped the dispute didn’t drag on for weeks.

“This is one of the problems facing Disney,” Greenfield said. “It’s been a noticeable change in tone from past carriage fee battles. If customer losses stay at a minimum, then Disney is going to be in a tough place.”

It boils down to power and money

YouTube TV is the fastest-growing television service in the U.S. Analysts expect that, within a couple of years, YouTube TV will have more pay-TV customers than industry leaders Spectrum and Comcast.

In the current negotiations, Google has asked Disney to agree to lower its rates when YouTube TV surpasses Comcast’s and Spectrum’s subscriber counts. Disney maintains that YouTube already pays preferred rates, in recognition of its competitive standing, and that Google is trying to drive down the value of Disney’s networks.

“YouTube TV and its owner, Google … want to use their power and extraordinary resources to eliminate competition and devalue the very content that helped them build their service,” top Disney executives wrote last Friday in an email to their staff.

People close to YouTube TV reject the characterization, saying the service has been a valuable partner by providing a strong service that brings Disney billions of dollars a year in distribution revenue.

“The bottom line is that our channels are extremely valuable, and we can only continue to program them with the sports and entertainment viewers love most if we stand our ground,” the Disney executives wrote in last week’s email. “We are asking nothing more of YouTube TV than what we have gotten from every other distributor — fair rates for our channels.”

Higher sports rights fees

A major reason Disney is asking for higher fees is because it’s grappling with a huge escalation in sports costs.

Disney is on the hook to pay $2.6 billion a year to the NBA, another $2.7 billion annually to the NFL, and $325 million a year for the rights to stream World Wrestling Entertainment. Such sports rights contracts have nearly doubled in the last decade, leading to the strain on TV broadcasters.

In addition, deep-pocketed streaming services, including Amazon, Apple and Netflix, have jumped into sports broadcasting, driving up the cost for the legacy broadcasters.

The crowded field also strains the wallets of sports fans, and appears to be adding to the fatigue over the YouTube TV-Disney fight.

Newton wrote in a recent Twitter post that he was spending $400 a month for his various internet, phone and TV services, including Disney+ and NFL Sunday Ticket, which is distributed by YouTube TV.

“I’m already on all the major subscriptions to watch football these days,” Newton, a third-generation San Francisco 49ers fan, said. “You need Netflix. You need Peacock, you need Amazon Prime and the list goes on and on. I’m at the point where I’m not paying for anything else.”

ESPN is shifting its strategy on online sports gambling, ending its partnership with Penn Entertainment.

The companies announced Thursday they were terminating an agreement that offered ESPN equity in Penn, which operated the ESPN Bet sportsbook app. The app will no longer carry the familiar red ESPN logo. It will operate under a new name.

ESPN said it will partner with DraftKings, a leading sports betting company, which will provide odds and other gaming-related data for the Walt Disney Co. unit’s programs and its digital platforms. ESPN’s on-air staff will use DraftKings’ odds starting Dec. 1.

According to people familiar with the ESPN-Penn arrangement, the app simply didn’t reach its financial targets in the highly competitive business, which operates in the 31 states where online gambling is legal.

In 2023, Penn agreed to pay $1.5 billion in cash over the next 10 years for the rights to use the ESPN name on its app. As part of the deal, ESPN promoted the product across its programming and provided access to on-air talent. ESPN had the right to purchase up to 31.8 million shares of Penn stock for $500 million over the 10-year period.

“When we first announced our partnership with ESPN, both sides made it clear that we expected to compete for a podium position in the space,” said Jay Snowden, CEO and President of Penn Entertainment. “Although we made significant progress in improving our product offering and building a cohesive ecosystem with ESPN, we have mutually and amicably agreed to wind down our collaboration.”

The end of the deal comes shortly after an FBI investigation led to the arrest of Miami Heat player Terry Rozier, who allegedly pulled out of a game claiming injury to deliver a win on one of his prop bets.

ESPN’s decision is unrelated to the recent news, as the company has been in talks for months with DraftKings about a new partnership. But no longer having the ESPN name on a betting app will keep the brand out of the line of fire if the NBA case escalates.

Beginning in December, DraftKings will have its app exclusively integrated across ESPN’s platforms.

The companies said they will “collaborate to advance their shared commitment to responsible gaming, by dedicating prominent assets to educate, raise customer awareness and promote responsible play through campaigns and integrations.”

DraftKings will provide the betting tab within the ESPN app and its customers will receive special promotions for ESPN’s newly launched direct-to-consumer streaming product.

DraftKings operates in 28 states and in Washington, D.C., and Ontario, Canada, and has more than 10 million customers across its products.

Millions of YouTube TV subscribers could miss “Monday Night Football” on ESPN and ABC News’ election day coverage as the blackout of Walt Disney-owned channels stretches into a second week.

“Monday Night Football” features the Dallas Cowboys battling the Arizona Cardinals. In addition, several important political contests are on Tuesday ballots, including the New York City mayor’s election, gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey, and California’s Prop. 50 to decide whether officials can redraw the state’s congressional map to favor Democrats.

Disney on Monday sought a temporary thaw in tensions with Google Inc. after the two sides failed last week to strike a new distribution contract covering Disney’s television channels on Google’s YouTube TV.

“Despite the impasse that led to the current blackout, we have asked YouTube TV to restore ABC for Election Day so subscribers have access to the information they rely on,” a Disney spokesperson said in a statement Monday. “We believe in putting the public interest first and hope YouTube TV will take this small step for their customers while we continue to work toward a fair agreement.”

A Google spokesperson was not immediately available for a comment.

ABC’s “World News Tonight With David Muir” is one of television’s highest rated programs.

More than 10 million YouTube TV customers lost access to ESPN, ABC and other Disney channels late Thursday after a collapse in negotiations over distribution fees for Disney channels, causing one of the largest recent blackouts in the television industry.

The two TV giants wrangled for weeks over how much Google must pay to carry Disney’s channels, including FX, Disney Jr. and National Geographic. YouTube TV — now one of the largest pay-TV services in the U.S. — has balked at Disney’s price demands, leading to the outage.

YouTube TV does not have the legal right to distribute Disney’s networks after its last distribution agreement expired.

“We know this is a frustrating and disappointing outcome for our subscribers,” a YouTube spokesperson said in a statement last week. “We continue to urge Disney to work with us constructively to reach a fair agreement that restores their networks to YouTube TV.”

YouTube has said that should the outage stretch for “an extended period,” it would offer its subscribers a $20 credit.

Spanish-language TelevisaUnivision-owned channels were knocked off YouTube TV in a separate dispute that has lasted more than a month. Televisa has appealed to high-level political officials, including President Trump and Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr.

Last year, after Disney-owned channels went dark on DirecTV in a separate carriage fee dispute, Disney offered to make available to DirecTV subscribers its ABC coverage of the sole presidential debate between President Trump and then-Vice President Kamala Harris.

DirecTV viewed ABC’s offer as something of a stunt, noting the debate would be streamed. DirecTV countered by asking Disney to instead make all of its channels available.

That fee dispute resulted in a 13-day blackout on DirecTV, one that was resolved a few days later.

Heightened tensions in the television industry have led to numerous blackouts.

In 2023, Disney and Charter Communications were unable to iron out a new contract by their deadline, resulting in a 10-day blackout of Disney channels on Charter’s Spectrum service. A decade earlier, Time Warner Cable subscribers went nearly a month without CBS-owned channels.

Programming companies, including Disney, have asked for higher fees for their channels to help offset the increased cost of sports programming, including NFL and NBA contracts. But pay-TV providers, including YouTube have pushed back, attempting to draw a line to slow their customers’ ever-increasing monthly bills.

More than 40 million pay-TV customer homes have cut the cord over the last decade, according to industry data. Many have switched to smaller streaming packages. YouTube TV also benefited by attracting disaffected customers from DirecTV, Charter Spectrum and Comcast. YouTube TV is now the nation’s third-largest TV channel distributor.

More than 10 million YouTube TV customers lost access to ESPN, ABC and other Walt Disney Co. channels after contract talks broke down Thursday night in one of the largest television blackouts in recent years.

The Disney blackout was set to begin by 9 p.m. Thursday, interrupting “SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt” on ESPN and “9-1-1: Nashville” and “Grey’s Anatomy” on ABC.

The two TV giants have been wrangling for weeks over carriage fees for Disney’s channels, including FX, Disney Jr. and National Geographic. YouTube TV — now one of the largest pay-TV services in the U.S. — has balked at Disney’s price demands, fueling the dispute that spilled beyond Thursday’s deadline for a new deal.

Without an agreement, Google-owned YouTube TV no longer had legal rights to distribute Disney’s channels.

“We know this is a frustrating and disappointing outcome for our subscribers,” a YouTube spokesperson said in a statement. “We continue to urge Disney to work with us constructively to reach a fair agreement that restores their networks to YouTube TV.”

Should the outage stretch for “an extended period,” YouTube said it would offer subscribers a $20 credit.

The blackout highlights heightened tensions in the television industry.

Programming companies, including Disney, have sought higher fees for their channels to help offset the increased cost of sports programming, including NFL and NBA contracts.

But pay-TV providers such as YouTube have pushed back, attempting to draw a line as customers grow weary of ever-increasing monthly bills.

They don’t want to lose subscribers to a rival service or have them drop their subscriptions. More than 40 million pay-TV customer homes have cut the cord over the last decade, according to industry data.

Disney becomes the latest TV programmer to allege that Google has been throwing its weight around in contract negotiations.

People close to the Burbank entertainment giant accuse YouTube TV of refusing to pay market rates for Disney’s popular channels or accept terms accepted by other pay-TV distributors. Disney has clinched deals with six other pay-TV companies this year, including the nation’s largest channel distributors, Charter Spectrum and Comcast.

“Unfortunately, Google’s YouTube TV has chosen to deny their subscribers the content they value most by refusing to pay fair rates for our channels, including ESPN and ABC,” Disney said in a statement. “Without a new agreement in place, their subscribers will not have access to our programming, which includes the best lineup in live sports – anchored by the NFL, NBA, and college football, with 13 of the top 25 college teams playing this weekend. With a $3 trillion market cap, Google is using its market dominance to eliminate competition and undercut the industry-standard terms we’ve successfully negotiated with every other distributor.”

Since August, Rupert Murdoch’s Fox Corp., Comcast’s NBCUniversal and Spanish-language broadcaster TelevisaUnivision have all complained that YouTube TV was trying to use its clout to squeeze them for concessions now that YouTube TV has become so popular with consumers.

Ultimately, Fox and NBCUniversal negotiated new distribution contracts with Google without having their channels going dark.

Univision wasn’t as fortunate; its channels have been off YouTube TV for nearly a month.

YouTube TV, for its part, has alleged that Disney was the one making unreasonable demands. The San Bruno, Calif.-based platform cited recent agreements it reached with NBCUniversal and Fox..

“Last week Disney used the threat of a blackout on YouTube TV as a negotiating tactic to force deal terms that would raise prices on our customers,” YouTube TV said in a statement. “They’re now following through on that threat. … This decision directly harms our subscribers while benefiting their own live TV products, including Hulu + Live TV and Fubo.”

Both Disney’s Hulu service and Fubo compete with YouTube TV by offering packages of many of the same traditional channels.

YouTube has alleged that Disney is using the blackout to steer disaffected YouTube TV customers to Disney-owned streaming services after the Burbank company lost subscribers who canceled following the late-night comedian Jimmy Kimmel’s brief suspension last month.

The two companies’ fraught dealings extend beyond the negotiations.

Last spring, Disney’s former distribution chief, Justin Connolly, abruptly exited to take a similar position at YouTube TV. Connolly had spent two decades at Disney and ESPN and helped devise the company’s distribution strategy. Disney sued to block the move, but a judge allowed Connolly to take his new position — putting him on the opposite side of the negotiation table.

It’s unclear how long the impasse might last.

A separate distribution fee dispute between Disney and DirecTV last year resulted in a 13-day blackout of Disney channels for customers of the El Segundo-based television provider. In 2023, another ugly tussle led to Disney channels being dropped from Charter’s Spectrum service for 10 days.

News and sports fans might quickly notice the absence of their favorite channels.

They could miss college football on ESPN and ABC as well as a “Monday Night Football” game between the Arizona Cardinals and Dallas Cowboys.

ESPN is scheduled to televise a University of Miami-SMU football game on Saturday.

(Jason Allen / Associated Press)

Disney’s ABC stations, including KABC-TV in Los Angeles, and the network’s affiliate stations around the country also will be unavailable on YouTube TV.

That means viewers could miss local newscasts, “Jeopardy,” “Wheel of Fortune,” “Good Morning America” and “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”

YouTube TV launched in April 2017 for $35 a month. The package of channels now costs $82.99.

Oct. 24 (UPI) — YouTube TV subscribers might lose access to several popular Disney-owned networks if a deal is not reached with the Google-owned streaming service by Thursday.

Officials for Disney gave Google until midnight on Oct. 30 to reach an agreement or lose access to all Disney-owned content on YouTube TV.

If a deal is not made, YouTube TV subscribers would lose access to all ESPN programming, FX, ABC News, local ABC channels, the Disney Channel, NatGeo and other popular networks owned by Disney until a deal is made.

“Google’s YouTube TV is putting their subscribers at risk of losing the most valuable networks they signed up for,” a Disney spokesperson told Deadline in a prepared statement.

“This is the latest example of Google exploiting its position at the expense of their customers,” the statement continued.

“We invest significantly in our content and expect our partners to pay fair rates that recognize that value.”

If that content is lost, YouTube TV would give subscribers a $20 credit if the Disney-owned content providers go dark for an extended period, as reported by Variety.

YouTube TV has more than 10 million subscribers and is the nation’s largest Internet-based television subscription service and is using that status to demand carriage fees that are lower than market levels for the Disney-owned channels.

The current deal between Disney and YouTube TV ends on Thursday, which could deprive YouTube TV subscribers of one of the largest carriers of sports, including the NFL, college football and basketball, NBA and NHL contests.

The contract dispute with Disney is the fifth this year for YouTube TV, which also has negotiated new deals with the Fox Corp., NBCUniversal, and Paramount Global, which now is known as Paramount Skydance.

YouTube TV failed to reach an agreement with TelevisaUnivision and stopped offering its Univision and related channels from the YouTube TV lineup on Oct. 1.

Walt Disney Co. is alerting viewers that its channels may go dark on YouTube TV amid tense contract negotiations between the two television giants.

The companies are struggling to hammer out a new distribution deal on YouTube TV for Disney’s channels, including ABC, ESPN, FX, National Geographic and Disney Channel. YouTube TV has become one of the most popular U.S. pay-TV services, boasting about 10 million subscribers for its packages of traditional television channels.

Those customers risk losing Disney’s channels, including KABC-TV Channel 7 in Los Angeles and other ABC affiliates nationwide if the two companies fail to forge a new carriage agreement by next Thursday, when their current pact expires.

“Without an agreement, we’ll have to remove Disney’s content from YouTube TV,” the Google Inc.-owned television service said Thursday in a statement.

Disney began sounding the alarm by running messages on its TV channels to warn viewers about the blackout threat.

The Burbank entertainment company becomes the latest TV programmer to allege that the tech behemoth is throwing its weight around in contract negotiations.

In recent months, both Rupert Murdoch’s Fox Corp. and Comcast’s NBCUniversal publicly complained that Google’s YouTube TV was attempting to unfairly squeeze them in their separate talks. In the end, both Fox and NBCUniversal struck new carriage contracts without their channels going dark.

Univision wasn’t as fortunate. The smaller Spanish-language media company’s networks went dark last month on YouTube TV when the two companies failed to reach a deal.

“For the fourth time in three months, Google’s YouTube TV is putting their subscribers at risk of losing the most valuable networks they signed up for,” a Disney spokesperson said Thursday in a statement. “This is the latest example of Google exploiting its position at the expense of their own customers.”

YouTube TV, for its part, alleged that Disney was the one making unreasonable demands.

“We’ve been working in good faith to negotiate a deal with Disney that pays them fairly for their content on YouTube TV,” a YouTube TV spokesperson said in a statement. “Unfortunately, Disney is proposing costly economic terms that would raise prices on YouTube TV customers and give our customers fewer choices, while benefiting Disney’s own live TV products – like Hulu + Live TV and, soon, Fubo,” YouTube TV said.

Disney’s Hulu + Live TV competes directly with YouTube TV by offering the same channels. Fubo is a sports streaming service that Disney is in the process of acquiring.

YouTube said if Disney channels remain “unavailable for an extended period of time,” it would offer its customers a $20 credit.

The contract tussle heightens tensions from earlier this year, when Disney’s former distribution chief, Justin Connolly, left in May to take a similar position at YouTube TV. Connolly had spent two decades at Disney and ESPN and Disney sued to block the move, but a judge allowed Connolly to take his new position.

YouTube TV launched in April 2017 for $35 a month. The package of channels now costs $82.99.

To attract more sports fans, YouTube TV took over the NFL Sunday Ticket premium sports package from DirecTV, which had been losing more than $100 million a year to maintain the NFL service. YouTube TV offers Sunday Ticket as a base plan add-on or as an individual channel on YouTube.

Last year, YouTube generated $54.2 billion in revenue, second only to Disney among television companies, according to research firm MoffettNathanson.

The dispute comes as NFL and college football is in full swing, with games on ABC and ESPN. The NBA season also tipped off this week and ESPN prominently features those games. ABC’s fall season began last month with fresh episodes of such favorite programs as “Dancing with the Stars” and “Abbott Elementary.”

ABC stations also air popular newscasts including “Good Morning America” and “World News Tonight with David Muir.” Many ABC stations, including in Los Angeles, run Sony’s “Wheel of Fortune” and “Jeopardy!”

“We invest significantly in our content and expect our partners to pay fair rates that recognize that value,” Disney said. “If we don’t reach a fair deal soon, YouTube TV customers will lose access to ESPN and ABC, and all our marquee programming – including the NFL, college football, NBA and NHL seasons – and so much more.”

The band is back together, even though they never really parted.

Departed? Sure. The crew that comprised “Inside the NBA” moved from TNT when the cable network lost its NBA broadcast rights to ESPN, NBC and Amazon after last season.

But the ensemble that somehow is greater than the sum of its star-studded parts continues — albeit now under the title “NBA Tip-Off.”

The familiar lineup of Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, Shaquille O’Neal and Ernie Johnson reunited for a pregame show ahead of ESPN’s doubleheader Wednesday, with the Cleveland Cavaliers visiting the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs visiting the Dallas Mavericks.

And they poked fun at themselves and at the Worldwide Leader. Any fears that ESPN suits would tone down the rollicking, often hilarious dynamic the quartet brought to the last decade-plus of the 36-year “Inside the NBA” run were quickly doused.

O’Neal opened by admonishing Johnson for mentioning the NBA‘s opening games Tuesday night, which broadcast on NBC and the Peacock streaming service.

“You are supposed to say, this is TRON — the real opening night,” O’Neal said to laughs. “Don’t forget who we are, boys.”

Johnson gently pushed back, replying, “Don’t be that way!” to more laughs.

O’Neal said Smith was almost late for the show, and Smith said, “I haven’t been that nervous since Game 7 of the NBA Finals.”

Barkley, who had been the most vocal skeptic of leaving TNT for ESPN, seconded that sentiment, saying “I was nervous all day.” But before he could continue in a more serious vein, Johnson interrupted and clips were shown of Barkley expressing doubts about ESPN on the “Dan Patrick Show” and other outlets.

More laughs ensued, although Barkley did his best to toe the company line, saying, “I’m not gonna lie. Every person who ever touched a ball wanted to be on ESPN. They are the greatest sports network ever. And to be working with these guys is an honor and a privilege.”

Johnson echoed Barkley, saying, “It is a dream come true,” and asked Smith if he felt the same way. Smith sighed and replied, “I will answer yes, but do you all want a napkin for all that kissing up?”

The laughs continued when a clip of Barkley earlier expressing worry about the workload at ESPN was followed by a graphic that displayed his Thursday work “schedule,” which included appearances every hour of the day, including during broadcasts of World Axe Throwing League and the American Cornhole League.

Basketball analysis did eventually follow the jokes and jabs, with O’Neal making a somewhat-bold prediction regarding oft-injured former Lakers big man Anthony Davis, who now plays in Dallas: “If A.D. plays 65 games, the Dallas Mavericks will be in the Western Conference finals.”

“NBA Tip-Off” was set to air segments pregame, halftime and postgame during Wednesday’s doubleheader, and ESPN announced it will air 20 days during the regular season around games broadcast on ESPN and ABC.

Formats will be different on each network. Pregame shows on ESPN will begin an hour before tipoff and postgame shows will start right after the final horn. Pregame shows on ABC will begin 30 minutes before tipoff. with postgame shows airing only after Saturday prime-time games. The NBA Sunday Showcase series on ABC also will feature an “NBA Tip-Off” pregame show.

“We’re proud that ‘Inside the NBA’ — one of the most iconic and beloved shows in all of media — will play a leading role in our NBA coverage,” ESPN president of content Burke Magnus said in a statement two weeks ago. “Fans should expect the same great show they’re accustomed to watching as it becomes an essential part of the highest-profile events in the NBA, including the NBA Finals.”

There was talk a few months ago that TNT could produce a separate show with the same cast, since this season’s “NBA Tip-Off” will continue to be produced in TNT’s Atlanta studios. Barkley seemingly put the kibosh on that notion when he said a pilot TNT taped was “just stupid stuff.”

“Number one, we won’t have basketball highlights [on TNT],” Barkley said in June. “But also, we’re probably gonna be going up against an NBA game. And anybody who likes basketball ain’t gonna say, ‘Hey, you know what? Let me turn off an NBA game on Amazon, ESPN or NBC to go watch these four dudes sit around and talk about nothing.’”

Instead, the quartet will continue to talk hoops and trade zingers, but only on ESPN and ABC.

“Inside the NBA” 2025-26 regular season broadcast schedule

2025
Oct. 22: ESPN and ESPN2
Oct. 23: ESPN
Oct. 29: ESPN
Nov. 12: ESPN
Dec. 25: ESPN and ABC

2026
Jan. 24: ABC
Jan. 28: ESPN
Jan. 31: ABC
Feb. 7: ABC
Feb. 20: ESPN
Feb. 21: ABC
Feb. 22: ABC
Feb. 27: ESPN
Feb. 28: ABC
March 1: ABC
March 6: ESPN
March 7: ABC
March 8: ABC
March 14: ABC
April 12: ESPN

There you are, sitting in traffic in your car, listening to Taylor Swift on Spotify because it’s easier than subjecting yourself to a new, more challenging artist. An ad pops up in your stream. It’s serious stuff, evidenced by the dystopian tone of the narrator: “Join the mission to protect America,” the serious man’s voice commands, “with bonuses up to $50,000 and generous benefits. Apply now … and fulfill your mission.”

It’s an Immigration and Customs Enforcement recruitment ad, part of the Trump administration’s investment of $30 billion to add more than 10,000 deportation officers to its ranks by the end of the year. You would have been spared the outrage if only you had paid for Spotify’s ad-free tier of service, but there’s no way the audio streamer is getting your money now. You’ll be switching to, say, Apple Music. Maybe Tidal?

The experience of being subjected to recruitment ads for a domestic military force, assembled by a power-hungry president, has generated intense backlash that’s culminated this week in calls for boycotts of streaming services and platforms that have featured ICE spots. They include Pandora, ESPN, YouTube, Hulu and Fubo TV. Multiple HBO Max subscribers bemoaned on X that they were subjected to ICE recruitment videos while watching All Elite Wrestling: “Time to be force-fed ICE commercials against my will for two hours again #WWENXT,” @YKWrestling wrote.

Recruitment ads — Uncle Sam’s “I Want You” poster comes to mind — are an American staple, especially in times of war. But the current recruitment effort is aimed at sending forces into American cities, predicated on exaggerated claims that U.S. metro areas are under siege and in peril due to dangerous illegal immigrants, leftist protesters and out-of-control crime rates. The data, however, does not support those claims. The American Immigration Council found that from 1980 to 2022, while the immigrant share of the U.S. population more than doubled (from 6.2% to 13.9%), the total crime rate declined by over 60%.

Yet there’s a far scarier doomscape on the horizon if ICE’s recruitment efforts are successful: a mercenary army loyal only to Trump, weaponized to keep him on the throne. If that sounds more dystopian than the aforementioned Spotify ad, consider that the administration has spent more than $6.5 million over the past month on a slew of 30-second commercials aimed at luring in police officers.

The ads aired on TVs in more than a dozen cities including Chicago, Seattle and Atlanta and opened with images of each specific metro area’s skyline. Then came the commanding narration: “Attention, Miami law enforcement!” It’s followed by the same messaging that is used in ICE ads across the country: “You took an oath to protect and serve, to keep your family, your city, safe. But in sanctuary cities you’re ordered to stand down while dangerous illegals walk free — Join ICE and help us catch the worst of the worst. Drug traffickers. Gang members. Predators.”

But are the ads working? It’s hard to say since transparency isn’t a hallmark of the MAGA White House. For what it’s worth, a Sept. 16 press release from the DHS claimed that it had received more than 150,000 applications in response to its campaign and had extended 18,000 tentative job offers.

As for the power of consumer-led boycotts, there’s hope. More than 1.7 million Disney, Hulu and ESPN subscriptions were reportedly canceled between Sept. 17 and Sept. 23 during Jimmy Kimmel’s temporary suspension by ABC (Disney is ABC’s parent company). The network pulled the show after the host’s comments related to Charlie Kirk’s assassination angered MAGA supporters and the Trump-appointed FCC chair appeared to threaten the network. But after a week with a significant increase in cancellations — a 436% jump compared to a normal week — Kimmel was back on the air.

As of today, Spotify appears unmoved by the pressure to pull those intrusive ICE ads. “This advertisement is part of a broad campaign the US government is running across television, streaming, and online channels,” a Spotify spokesperson said in a statement this week. “The content does not violate our advertising policies. However, users can mark any ad with a thumbs up or thumbs down to help manage their ads preferences.”

Thumbs down. Frowny emoji. Cue the dystopian narrator for a counter ad: “Join the mission to protect America: Cancel Spotify.”

F1 races are exclusively coming to Apple TV next year as part of a five-year deal announced Friday between the tech giant and Formula 1.

Apple TV subscribers in the U.S. will have access to practice, qualifying, Sprint sessions and Grands Prix footage, as well as F1 TV Premium, Formula 1’s subscription service.

Some races and practice sessions may be free for viewing on the Apple TV app. The Apple Sports app will show live updates on each Grand Prix, including real-time leaderboards, Apple said.

“2026 marks a transformative new era for Formula 1, from new teams to new regulations and cars with the best drivers in the world, and we look forward to delivering premium and innovative fan-first coverage to our customers in a way that only Apple can,” Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of services, said in a statement.

Stefano Domenicali, Formula 1’s president and CEO, said the partnership will help maximize Formula 1’s growth potential in the U.S. His company worked with Apple on “F1 The Movie,” starring Brad Pitt, which was released last summer. It was Apple’s first box office hit.

“We have a shared vision to bring this amazing sport to our fans in the U.S. and entice new fans through live broadcasts, engaging content, and a year-round approach to keep them hooked,” Domenicali said in a statement.

Apple paid roughly $140 million a year for the rights to show the races, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to speak publicly. The races have been airing on ESPN since 2018 in a deal that will end this year. ESPN paid roughly $85 million per year on average, the source said. The financial terms were first reported by CNBC.

Apple and Formula 1 did not immediately return a request for comment and ESPN declined to comment on the financial terms of the deal.

“We’re incredibly proud of what we and Formula 1 accomplished together in the United States and look forward to a strong finish in this final season,” ESPN said in a statement. “We wish F1 well in the future.”

Streaming services have increasingly been airing sports on their platforms to attract more viewers who gather for major events. In addition to F1, Apple has deals to air games from Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer.

Apple also recently announced a deal to bundle Apple TV with NBCUniversal’s streaming service Peacock.

Las Vegas Raiders offensive coordinator Chip Kelly told reporters Thursday that he does not game plan with team minority owner and Fox NFL broadcaster Tom Brady — at least not “on a weekly basis” — despite a report during “Monday Night Football” this week that suggested otherwise.

During the first quarter of the Chargers-Raiders game at Allegiant Stadium, ESPN’s Peter Schrager reported from the sideline that “Chip Kelly told us that he talks to Brady two to three times a week. They go through film. They go through the game plan.”

After the game, Raiders coach Pete Carroll called the report “not accurate” and said that while he and Kelly speak with Brady “regularly,” those conversations are “about life and football and whatever.”

Kelly was asked about the ESPN report during media availability Thursday. His response echoed Carroll’s.

“I’ve spent a lot of time just talking football with [Brady], but it’s not on a — we don’t talk about game plans,” the former UCLA coach said. “We spent a lot of time over the summer, a couple Zooms … and we would just talk ball, you know, ‘What did you like against this?’ So really, when I use Tom, and I just use him as a resource of, ‘Hey, you know, when you faced a Mike Zimmer-type defense, what did you like protection-wise and play-wise?’

“But on a weekly basis, he’s not game planning with us or talking to us.”

Kelly later added: “In terms of weekly game plans, like, that’s not a collaboration that we do. I mean, he’s also a busy guy, so I haven’t even thought of using him to do that, and I don’t think you can, so — you know, our staff does all that.

“But he’s been a guy that I could talk football with, just shooting it about, ‘Hey, have you ever faced a two-trap defense?’ and, ‘With the inverted, Tampa two that everybody’s running now, what was your best thoughts about that?,’ things like that. But we don’t talk game plan at all or any of that stuff in terms of on a weekly basis.”

The Times reached out to ESPN for comments from Schrager or the network on the matter. A network representative declined to comment.

During Schrager’s report, “Monday Night Football” showed a live shot of Brady sitting in the Raiders coaches’ booth and wearing a headset. Kelly told reporters Thursday that he thinks Brady did the same thing during the Raiders’ preseason game last month against the San Francisco 49ers, also at Allegiant Stadium.

“But he doesn’t talk to the coaches when he’s up there,” Kelly said. “I think he just — he’s watching football.”

NFL chief spokesperson Brian McCarthy said in a statement Tuesday that Brady was doing nothing wrong.

“There are no policies that prohibit an owner from sitting in the coaches’ booth or wearing a headset during a game,” McCarthy said. “Brady was sitting in the booth in his capacity as a limited partner.”

Brady faces a number of NFL-imposed restrictions on what he’s allowed to do as a broadcaster given his dual status as a team minority owner. Last season, Brady’s first in both roles, he was prohibited from attending the weekly production meetings during which the Fox crew meets with coaches and players ahead of that week’s game.

That restriction was eased going into this season.

“Tom continues to be prohibited from going to a team facility for practices or production meetings,” McCarthy said in his statement. “He may attend production meetings remotely but may not attend in person at the team facility or hotel. He may also conduct an interview off site with a player like he did last year a couple times, including for the Super Bowl.

“Of course, as with any production meeting with broadcast teams, it’s up to the club, coach or players to determine what they say in those sessions.”

Those who deliver the news can’t always break the news, even when it concerns themselves.

Molly Qerim discovered that firsthand when it was reported that she would be leaving the ESPN morning staple “First Take” after serving as host since 2015.

She acknowledged as much Tuesday, writing on Instagram, “Now that the news came out earlier than I intended, and not in the way I hoped…

“After much reflection, I’ve decided it’s time to close this incredible chapter and step away from First Take. Hosting this show has been one of the greatest honors of my career. Every morning, I had the privilege of sharing the desk with some of the most brilliant, passionate and entertaining voices in sports — and with all of you, the best fans in the world.”

Although reports indicated Qerim, 41, had turned down a contract extension but would remain on the show until the end of the year, she was not present Tuesday morning. Longtime “First Take” analyst Stephen A. Smith praised Qerim in her absence.

“She’s hosted ‘First Take’ for 10 years and elevated the show with her grace, her expertise, her incomparable kindness,” Smith said. “She’s been an enormous part of our success for a decade. Not only did she keep me and many others in line, she did it with dignity, class and kindness to say the least.”

Qerim’s exit is the second this summer on “First Take.” ESPN cut ties with Shannon Sharpe, a regular analyst, in July after he settled a lawsuit brought by an ex-girlfriend who accused him of sexual assault.

Qerim first worked at ESPN from 2006 to 2010 before leaving for stints at CBS Sports and NFL Network. She returned to ESPN in 2015 to host “First Take.”

No replacement for Qerim has been chosen, although a leading candidate likely is Courtney Cronin, who has guest-hosted “First Take” while also appearing on “SportsCenter” and “Around the Horn” in addition to her primary role of covering Chicago teams.

Qerim’s next step hasn’t been announced, although she made it clear that her experience on “First Take” was a positive one.

“I’m so grateful for what this journey has given me: lifelong friendships, unforgettable memories, and the chance to be part of something truly special,” she wrote on Instagram. “From the bottom of my heart, thank you for welcoming me into your homes.

“Stay tuned

”

Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon have signed new contracts with ESPN that will keep them as hosts of “Pardon the Interruption” at least through the show’s 25th anniversary next fall, the network announced Tuesday.

The previous contracts for both men had expired in August. The new ones are described in an ESPN news release as “multiyear.”

The former Washington Post sports writers have hosted “PTI” since it debuted Oct. 22, 2001. The fast-paced sports debate show has won the Sports Emmy Award for daily studio show three times (2009, 2016 and 2019) and is ESPN’s most-viewed daily studio program.

“Tony and Mike have made PTI into a singular success story and every bit as relevant today as it has ever been,” Burke Magnus, ESPN’s president of content, said in a news release. “Their information and opinions are as smart and strong as ever, and they remain daily appointment viewing for sports fans.”

Kornheiser and Wilbon will continue their daily segment for the 3 p.m. Pacific edition of SportsCenter and Wilbon will also remain a part of ESPN’s NBA coverage.

The news came months after “Around the Horn,” another long-running sports debate show on ESPN, aired its final episode. That show ran from November 2002 until this past May and was paired with “PTI” on weekday afternoons, with “Horn” at 2 p.m. Pacific and “Interruption” at 2:30 p.m.

ESPN also announced an extension with Rydholm Projects Inc. to continue producing “PTI.” Executive producer Erik Rydholm and coordinating producer Matt Kelliher have been with the show since the beginning.

Rydholm was also the executive producer of “Around the Horn” as well as the former ESPN shows “Highly Questionable” and “The Dan Le Batard Show With Stugotz.”

DESMOND HOWARD has signed a big-money extension with ESPN.

The 55-year-old former wide receiver will continue his 20-year stint at the broadcaster following negotiations.

1

The Heisman trophy winner said: “I am thrilled to continue this journey with ESPN.

“There’s nothing I’d rather be doing during the fall than showcasing the incredible sport that we all love alongside my College GameDay family.”

The channel’s content president Burke Magnus was thrilled with the new deal.

He said: “Desmond has played a pivotal role in ESPN and College GameDay’s success for two decades, so we’re thrilled that the Heisman Trophy winner and one of college football’s all-time greats will continue to offer his analysis and perspective – and, of course, occasional friendly jabs – across our coverage.”

The former Michigan Wolverines ace gave one of the most iconic highlights of all time when he struck the famous trophy pose after a return touchdown against archrival Ohio State. 

Howard also etched his place in football history as one of only four men to win the Heisman and the Super Bowl MVP. 

Howard landed that honour with the Green Bay Packers, scoring a kickoff return touchdown to help lead the team to a victory in Super Bowl XXXI.

Michigan retired Howard’s iconic No. 21 jersey in 2015 after he was the first receiver in Big Ten history to lead the conference in scoring. 

Howard set or tied five NCAA records and 12 single-season Michigan records.

In 1991, he won the Heisman Trophy by the second-largest margin in history, claiming 85 percent of the vote.

Coco Gauff was struggling for the second time in as many matches this week at the U.S. Open.

At one point during her second-round match against Donna Vekic on Thursday in Arthur Ashe Stadium, the world’s No. 3-ranked player became overwhelmed and couldn’t stop the tears from flowing.

Gauff played through it all, however, and advanced with a 7-6 (5), 6-2 victory. She became emotional again afterward as she thanked the crowd for its support.

“You really helped me a lot,” the two-time major championship winner said during her post-match interview.

Gauff indicated that one member of the crowd in particular provided extra inspiration during the match — U.S. gymnastics legend Simone Biles. The seven-time Olympic gold medalist has been open about her mental health struggles during a career in which she has also won 23 world titles.

“Honestly, I saw her and … she helped me pull it out,” said Gauff, who later told reporters that her “Mount Rushmore of athletes” consisted of Biles and tennis legend Serena Williams. “I was just thinking if she could go on a six-inch beam and do that, with all the pressures of the world, then I can hit the ball in this 75 — I don’t know how big this court is.

Coco Gauff reacts after defeating Donna Vekic during the second round of the U.S. Open on Thursday in New York.

(Frank Franklin II / Associated Press)

“So, yeah, I saw her late in the second getting interviewed by ESPN and, yeah, it brought me a little bit of calm, just knowing her story, with all the things she went through mentally. So, she’s an inspiration, surely, and her presence definitely did help me today.”

During her in-match interview with ESPN’s Katie George, Biles said she came to the U.S. Open specifically to watch Gauff.

“She’s incredible, amazing, and it’s like, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Biles said. “It’s just such a privilege to watch her on home soil and watch Black Girl Magic.”

Soon after the match, the two athletes had the opportunity to meet.

“Gymnastics is so different, so I just wanted to scream, ‘Go, Coco!’” Biles told Gauff. “But then they were like, ‘Maybe not right now.’ And I was like, ‘Got it.’ But congrats. I love watching you, everything you do.”

The winner of the 2023 U.S. Open and 2025 French Open told her idol: “You’re such an inspiration. Like, seriously. What I said in the [on-court] interview, I was thinking about that literally.

“My mom did gymnastics on a way lower level than you. And so, she was like, ‘If I can focus on that, then you can do that.’ So, I was like, ‘OK, I guess you’re right.’ … You’re an inspiration, seriously.”

ESPN announced some changes Thursday for its NBA broadcast teams going into the 2025-26 season — among them, a promotion for Tim Legler and a contract extension (but also a demotion) for Doris Burke.

Legler will join the network’s lead NBA crew, which also includes play-by-play announcer Mike Breen, fellow analyst Richard Jefferson and reporter Lisa Salters.

That team will call the 2026 NBA Finals on ABC, as well as the conference finals, several first- and second-round playoff games, a Christmas Day game and NBA Saturday Primetime games on ABC.

Legler is a former NBA journeyman who won the league’s three-point shooting contest during the 1996 All-Star festivities. He retired as a player in 2000 and joined ESPN as an analyst the same year.

ESPN did not provide details on Burke’s contract extension, other than to say it is for multiple years. According to a press release, Burke will call “full slates of games throughout the regular season and the NBA playoffs” on ESPN and ABC with play-by-play announcer Dave Pasch.

Burke has been with ESPN since 1991 and joined the network’s lead NBA broadcast team in 2023. When she called the 2024 NBA Finals, she became the first woman to serve as a TV game analyst for a championship-round game in one of the four major professional U.S. men’s sports leagues.

In 2018, Burke received the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame’s Curt Gowdy Media Award for outstanding contributions to basketball.

The news that Burke’s future with the lead NBA team was up in the air was first reported by The Athletic in June ahead of the 2025 Finals. Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle spoke in support of Burke during his news conference before Game 1.

“She’s changed the game for women in broadcasting,” Carlisle said. “Doris is a great example of courage and putting herself out there.”

Also on Thursday, ESPN announced a multi-year extension for Jefferson, who has been with the network since 2019 and called his first NBA Finals this year.

Aug. 11 (UPI) — Disney‘s ESPN and Fox Corp. on Monday announced the two rivals are joining forces to offer a streaming service to consumers as a bundle for $39 per month starting Oct. 2.

The two media giants announced the service but last week ESPN and Fox each announced separate all-in-one streaming apps.

The services can be downloaded on devices, including cellphones and tablets, and can be accessed on smart TVs and gaming consoles.

With viewership declining on TV, including cable, media companies have turned to streaming services as a way to boost viewership and revenue. CNBC reported that sports is a way to accomplish this.

Last week, both companies announced their services — ESPN’s Direct to Consumer Unlimited Offering and Fox One — will launch on Aug. 21 before the college football and NFL seasons.

But the bundle won’t be available until October.

ESPN’s separate service will cost $29.99 month and Fox’s will be $19.99.

Also, ESPN will offer a bundle with Disney’s other streaming services, Disney+ and Hulu, for $35.99 per month.

Besides events, both companies present sports news.

The ESPN service will include live sports and programming from its TV networks, including ESPN2, the SEC Network, the ACC Network, as well as Disney-owned ABC.

ESPN also reached an agreement last week with the NFL to acquire the NFL Network, including the Red Zone.

And ESPN last week signed a deal with the WWW for U.S. rights in 2026 to its biggest wrestling events, including WrestleMania, the Royal Rumble and SummerSlam.

In all, ESPN/ABC cover 47,000 live events each year, as well as studio shows and original programming.

ESPN and ABC sports include Monday Night Football, college football and basketball, NHL, NBA, Major League Soccer, golf, tennis and motorsports.

In addition, an enhanced app will integrate game statistics, betting information, fantasy sports, multi-view options and a “personalize SportsCenter For You,” the company said.

Fox’s parent company offers Tubi and Fox Nation. Fox’s sports networks include FS1, FS2 and the Big Ten Network.

The company said Fox One won’t have original content.

Last week, Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch and Disney CEO Bob Iger said during earnings calls that they were considering offering bundle services.

Fox Sports’ coverage includes NFL, college football and basketball, Major League Baseball, FIFA World Cup, Major League Soccer, motorsports, WNBA, LIV Golf and boxing.

Three other media companies offer sports: Comcast’s NBC, Warner Bros. Discovery’s TNT and Paramount Skydance’s CBS.

NBC, which has the rights to the Olympics, has Peacock streaming, and CBS offers Paramount+, services that include sports. TNT doesn’t have a specific app but its services can be bundles with other apps.

On Monday, Paramount announced plans to televise UFC events starting next year.

Ty Plinski, a 6-foot-3 senior receiver at Corona Centennial Hifh who made one catch all last season, became a media sensation on Friday night when he pulled off a spectacular one-handed touchdown catch in a win over Servite, landing him the No. 1 play on ESPN’s SportsCenter.

“I barely played last year,” he said Saturday.

When he woke up, he said his phone was “blowing up.” He said he received more than 50 text messages from friends, coaches and recruiters.

“I’ve been training a lot, and it’s been part of my training routine,” he said of making one-handed catches. “It was the perfect opportunity, and I just fully extended.”

Quarterback Dominick Catalano dropped the ball, picked it up and found Plinski, who also used his lacrosse skills to make the catch.

“The zip how fast that ball comes in, it’s a lot of hand-eye coordination,” he said of lacrosse.

Plinski finished with four receptions in a 42-14 victory.

Asked why he’s kept playing, Plinski said, “It’s my passion. I love it. All my teammates are amazing.”

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email [email protected].

Players placing bets on games is taboo. Innumerable sports fans were educated on this point in 1989 when hits king Pete Rose received a lifetime ban from Major League Baseball for betting on games while he was a manager.

Or upon watching “Eight Men Out,” the 1988 film about MLB’s Black Sox Scandal in which eight members of the Chicago White Sox conspired with gamblers to lose the 1919 World Series.

Or from recent incidents, including Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley’s suspension in 2022 for a year for betting on NFL games and Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter’s lifetime ban in 2024 for betting on NBA games, giving gamblers confidential information and taking himself out of a game to affect bets.

Rose’s ban was rescinded this year, but not until after he died, with MLB commissioner Rob Manfred reasoning that the lifetime part of the ban was no longer applicable.

Former Lakers guard Malik Beasley presumably can take solace in being alive Friday when he learned that he is no longer a target of the federal gambling investigation that his attorneys said harmed his reputation and cost him millions in potential earnings.

Attorneys Steve Haney and Mike Schachter told ESPN that they were informed by the court conducting the investigation that Beasley is not suspected of gambling on NBA games during the 2023-24 season.

“Months after this investigation commenced, Malik remains uncharged and is not the target of this investigation,” Haney told ESPN. “An allegation with no charge, indictment or conviction should never have the catastrophic consequence this has caused Malik. This has literally been the opposite of the presumption of innocence.”

It was reported one day before the official start of free agency in June that Beasley was under investigation by the Eastern District of New York. And, yes, Beasley was a free agent after averaging 16.3 points a game with the Detroit Pistons and setting a franchise record with 319 three-pointers.

Result? The three-year, $42-million contract the Pistons had on the table to bring back the 28-year-old nine-year veteran was rescinded. Other suitors turned their backs as well.

Two months later, most teams have spent the money for free agents. The maximum Beasley can re-sign with the Pistons for is one year and $7.2 million. Several other teams can offer a similar or slightly more lucrative deal, but Beasley likely will sign a one-year deal.

Beasley posted a SnapChat story Aug. 6 before he had been exonerated, and he couldn’t help but sound bitter.

“People are judging me,” he said on the video. “Have I made some mistakes in my life? Yes. Am I proud of those mistakes? No. I’m human, but I know what I know… I just gotta stay positive, stay low key.

“I’ll tell you one thing, I’ve got a chip on my shoulder. I’m ready to destroy anything in front of me to prove again that I belong in this league. For those who know me, I work too hard. I work every day. I put basketball before anything.”

Beasley pleaded guilty to a felony charge of threats of violence and was sentenced to 120 days in jail in 2020. The NBA suspended him for 12 games. The three-point-shooting expert played 24 games for the Lakers in the 2022-23 season, averaging 11.1 points a game.

Beasley drew the attention of the gambling investigation when a sportsbook detected heavy betting on his statistics beginning in January 2024, according to ESPN.

A Jan. 31 game involving the Milwaukee Bucks — the team Beasley played for at the time — raised suspicions, according to ESPN’s gambling industry source. The odds on Beasley recording fewer than 2.5 rebounds shortened significantly at sportsbooks leading up to the game. Beasley, however, finished with six rebounds, and those suspicious bets lost.

People in L.A. and New York better get ready for a sea of ESPN red on their morning and evening commutes.

Walt Disney Co.’s is backing the Thursday launch of its sports media unit’s direct-to-consumer streaming app with a major advertising campaign aimed at captive audiences in their cars and on the railway tracks.

The aggressive four-week push is aimed at telling consumers that ESPN — long one of the pillars of the cable television business — will be available for the first time without a pay TV subscription.

The service, a major initiative since ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro took over the Disney unit in 2018, is a response to the growing number of consumers who are bypassing cable and satellite for streaming video platforms. The trend has decreased the number of pay TV homes receiving ESPN, which is a major source of revenue for the company.

ESPN ad on a Cadillac SUV used for Lyft.

(ESPN)

Consumers can subscribe to the new ESPN streaming app for $29.99 a month. Households already paying to receive ESPN channels through cable or satellite can sign up at no additional cost, enabling up to five people to stream the service on mobile devices and internet-connected TV sets.

“We designed our campaign exactly as we designed our product, which is to serve sports fans anytime, anywhere,” Jo Fox, executive vice president of marketing for ESPN, said in a recent interview. “So we want to make sure we are showing up in as many places as possible.”

The advertising campaign that starts Thursday will feature Lyft-operated Cadillac SUVs wrapped in the company logo and the promotional campaign’s tagline “All of ESPN. All in One Place.”

The vehicles will be concentrated in high-traffic areas near sporting events in Los Angeles and New York, where the U.S. Open tennis tournament will soon begin. The ESPN brand name and logo will also appear on the Lyft app and maps.

Mass transit users won’t be left out, as ESPN will take over the E Line of the New York City subway that travels from the World Trade Center to Queens. The exterior of the train cars will be covered with logos while more specific ad messages will appear on the inside.

The public address announcements at the Spring Street subway station — located near Disney’s downtown Manhattan headquarters — will be delivered by ESPN’s voluble $20-million-a-year man Stephen A. Smith, the co-host of “First Take.”

Signage will also take over electronic screens in New York’s Moynihan Train Hall and Port Authority Bus Terminal and billboards along L.A.’s Sunset Boulevard and adjacent to SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.

ESPN’s campaign will go beyond the major media centers on the coasts. The streaming service will be featured on TV screens in the home entertainment sections in 4,000 Walmart stores across the country.

ESPN also has a deal with Samsung, which will offer free yearlong subscriptions to the streaming service to customers who purchase a QLED 4K TV at Best Buy or Samsung.com. Best Buy stores will feature the ESPN app in stores as well during the promotion.

ESPN has already been touting its streaming service on air and in paid TV media buys with commercials featuring actor and WWE star John Cena. Cena will soon be an ESPN fixture as the streaming service becomes the new home of major WWE events such as WrestleMania and Royal Rumble, starting in 2026.

The ESPN app will include a number of features that will complement the live sports offerings. Fans will be able to create their own personalized “SportsCenter,” which will use artificial intelligence to provide a short personalized highlight program geared to the user’s favorite teams and events.

NBC Sports pioneered the customized highlight show on its Peacock streaming platform during the 2024 Summer Olympics, using the voice of Al Michaels. The voices of ESPN “SportsCenter” hosts will be used on “SportsCenter for You.”

The app will also offer stats, betting, commerce and fantasy sports information alongside the live game coverage shown on ESPN channels.

Rob Manfred normally does what many fans consider an annoyingly effective job of keeping Major League Baseball’s strategic plans out of the public square.

So maybe the MLB commissioner was caught in an unguarded moment, staring down at a diamond from the ESPN “Sunday Night Baseball” booth in the cozy confines of Williamsport, Pa., and the Little League World Series.

Or maybe his comments were calculated. Either way, he spoke freely about how expanding from the current 30 teams could create an ideal chance to reset the way teams are aligned in divisions and leagues.

Manfred was asked on air for a window into the future. Expansion, realignment, both?

“The first two topics are related, in my mind,” he replied. “I think if we expand, it provides us with an opportunity to geographically realign. I think we could save a lot of wear and tear on our players in terms of travel. And I think our postseason format would be even more appealing for entities like ESPN, because you’d be playing out of the East and out of the West.”

Taking that thinking to an extreme would put the Dodgers and Angels in a division with, say, the San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, Las Vegas Athletics and Seattle Mariners.

Would that collection — let’s call it the Pacific Division — be part of the American or National League? Maybe neither. Instead, geographic realignment could result in Eastern and Western Conferences similar to the NBA.

Pushback from traditionalists might be vigorous. Call them leagues, call them conferences, geographical realignment would make for some strange bedfellows.

Former MLB player and current MLB Network analyst Cameron Maybin posted on X that making sure the divisions are balanced is more important than geography.

“Manfred’s realignment talk isn’t just about moving teams around, it tilts playoff balance,” Maybin said on X. “Some divisions get watered down others overloaded and rivalries that drive October story lines we love, vanish. Baseball needs competitive integrity not manufactured shakeups.”

Yet Manfred makes a persuasive argument that grouping teams by geographic location would have its benefits.

“That 10 o’clock time slot where we sometimes get lost in Anaheim would be two West Coast teams,” he said. “Then that 10 o’clock spot that’s a problem for us becomes an opportunity for our West Coast audience. I think the owners realize there is a demand for Major League Baseball in a lot of great cities, and we have an opportunity to do something good around that expansion process.”

Manfred said in February that he’d like expansion to be approved by 2029, his last year as commissioner. MLB hasn’t expanded since the Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays were added in 1998.

Expansion teams “won’t be playing by the time I’m done, but I would like the process along and [locations] selected,” Manfred said.

Several cities are courting MLB for a franchise, and the league is reported to be leaning toward Nashville and Salt Lake City as favorites. Portland, Orlando, San Antonio and Charlotte are other possibilities.

The Times’ Bill Shaikin has pointed out that geographical realignment would be tied to schedule reform that could help kindle rivalries and encourage fans to visit opposing ballparks that are within driving distance.

The future home of the Rays is in flux, and that decision likely will precede MLB choosing expansion cities, even after the recent news that Florida developer Patrick Zalupski has agreed to pay $1.7 billion for the team.

Zalupski’s team of investors reportedly prefers to keep the Rays near Tampa. If that becomes gospel, MLB can turn its attention to choosing where new teams would call home.

And soon afterward, if Manfred’s vision comes to fruition, geographical realignment would follow, and the Southern California Freeway Series could become just another series between divisional rivals.