Private company

ESPN, LLC

Logo: The Walt Disney Company/Hearst Communications, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons3

American sports media conglomerate

ESPN, LLC, previously known as ESPN, Inc., is an American multinational sports media conglomerate founded by Bill Rasmussen on September 7, 1979 and currently majority-owned by the Walt Disney Company via indirect subsidiary ABC Inc. as one of its three major business segments, with Hearst Communications and the National Football League as equity stakeholders.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 20, 2026.

Overview

Sep 7, 1979Founded1
  • Industrytelevision1
  • HeadquartersBristol1
  • Websitewww.espn.com
  • Legal formcorporation1

See how the biggest companies compare on our leaderboards

ESPN, LLC, previously known as ESPN, Inc., is an American multinational sports media conglomerate founded by Bill Rasmussen on September 7, 1979 and currently majority-owned by the Walt Disney Company via indirect subsidiary ABC Inc. as one of its three major business segments, with Hearst Communications and the National Football League as equity stakeholders.2

Corporate structure

ESPN, LLC is part of a group headed by The Walt Disney Company. 354 entities, 33 countries on record. Switch between the flow chart and the network, and select any entity to see its details.

Built from parent and subsidiary links from GLEIF, the Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation (CC0); subsidiaries listed in Exhibit 21 of annual reports filed with the SEC; subsidiaries, stakes and holdings from Wikidata (CC0). Each entity in the chart links to its source.

What it owns

What ESPN, LLC reports owning in its annual reports to the SEC: buildings, land and equipment, real estate and locations, investments, intangible assets and inventory, at the end of its latest fiscal year and a year before.

Stakes and holdings (Wikidata)

Things Wikidata records the company as owning, with the share when stated.1

The story

Founded by Bill Rasmussen on Sep 7, 1979.1

Leadership

Who has led ESPN, LLC, and when. Pick a name to see everywhere that person has worked.

Subsidiaries and ownership

Parent company

Owners

Subsidiaries

Also owns

Former owners and parents

From Wikidata.1

Former names

  • ESPN, Inc.until 20261

Timeline

  1. Jan 31, 2026Acquired Acquired by National Football League1
  2. 1996Acquired Acquired by The Walt Disney Company1
  3. 1984Acquired Acquired by American Broadcasting Company1
  4. 1984Acquired Acquired by Hearst Communications1
  5. Sep 7, 1979Founded Founded1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3