ESPN Africa
African pay television channel
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
ESPN Africa (on-air name: ESPN) is an African pay television sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company (which owns a controlling 72% stake), the Hearst Communications (which owns 18%) and National Football League (owns the remaining 10%). The channel broadcasts in Sub-Saharan Africa in English and French.
French
(The Walt Disney Company 72%, Hearst Communications 18%, National Football League 10%)
 | |
| Broadcast area | Sub-Saharan Africa |
|---|---|
| Network | ESPN |
| Programming | |
| Languages | English French |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | ESPN Inc. (The Walt Disney Company 72%, Hearst Communications 18%, National Football League 10%) |
| Sister channels | Fox (closed) Fox Life (closed) National Geographic Channel Nat Geo Wild Disney Channel Disney Junior |
| History | |
| Launched | 2008 |
| Former names | Setanta Sports Africa (2008-2014) Fox Sports Africa (2014–2019) |
| Links | |
| Website | africa.espn.com |
| Availability | |
| Terrestrial | |
| GOtv | Channel 37 |
| DStv | Channel 218 Channel 219 (ESPN2) |
| Zuku TV | Channel 712 Channel 713 (ESPN2) |
| StarTimes | Channel 248 Channel 249 (ESPN2) |
| Azam TV | Channel 120 Channel 121 (ESPN2) |
| ZAP | Channel 31 Channel 32 (ESPN2) |
History
ESPN International began its service in Africa in June 1994. When ESPN launched the television channel, was available in 19 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. It's portfolio of broadcasts included NFL, MLB, NBA, NASCAR, UEFA Champions League, Spanish Primera League, Euroleague, NCAA Basketball and Football, among others.
In July 2013, ESPN announced that had decided to stop broadcasting across the Middle East and Africa at the end of the month. In a statement, the company said: “This was a strategic business decision made by ESPN,” the statement said. “At this point in time, ESPN will focus on its digital and content syndication businesses in the EMEA [Europe, the Middle East and Africa] region.”[1]
On December 14, 2017, The Walt Disney Company announced its intent to acquire 21st Century Fox (21CF), including international assets. The deal was officially completed on March 19, 2019.
Fox International Channels had acquired Setanta Africa channels in November 2013,[2] and in August 2014, rebranded Setanta Sports as Fox Sports and Setanta Action as Fox Sports 2.[3] The channel traces its origins to a sports licensing company set up by South African sportscaster Barry Lambert, formerly of TVAfrica, as LIM Africa, later renamed Setanta Africa after a deal with Setanta gave them the rights to use the brand and created a localized African channel in August 2008.[4] A second channel, Setanta Action, started in November 2012, airing other sports with particular emphasis on combat sports.[5] Its programming mainly featured football from Ligue 1, Eredivisie, Scottish Premiership, Belgian Pro League and English Football League. The network was also a long-standing broadcaster of the South American competitions Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana across Africa until the rights moved in 2017.
On August 7, 2019, six months after Disney acquired most of 21st Century Fox's assets, it was announced that the network would renamed as ESPN Africa on August 30. The website also were put under the ESPN brand.[6][7] This marked the return of the brand to Sub-Saharan Africa after six years, as the former local ESPN feed[8] and ESPN America both shut down on July 31, 2013.[9]
Programming
American Football
Australian Football
Baseball
Basketball
Cricket
Ice Hockey
Multi-Sport Events
Rugby union/league
Soccer
Source:[19]