Key Points
- ESPN has renewed its partnership with Sony’s Beyond Sports to continue producing animated alternate broadcasts through the 2025-26 sports season.
- The deal expands ESPN’s animated “altcasts” to include the NFL, NHL, MLB and WNBA, with four new telecasts planned for the current season.
- ESPN and Beyond Sports first partnered in 2023, using Disney characters from “Toy Story” and “The Simpsons” to create immersive, animated game experiences.
The Walt Disney Company’s sports network ESPN has extended its agreement with Sony’s Beyond Sports to continue producing alternative, animated-driven broadcasts of its sports programming for a few more years.
Under the new agreement, the two companies will work together on animated “altcasts” of live football, basketball, baseball and hockey games through the 2025-26 sports season — at least four are planned during the season — with additional altcasts expected during the following sports year.
“At ESPN, innovation has always been a driver in serving sports fans, including reaching new audiences,” said Kevin Lopes, the Vice President, Sports Business Development & Innovation at ESPN. “The Beyond Sports team has helped fuel our animated alternate casts, along with our league partners, creating an entirely new way for fans to consume our content. We look forward to continuing to produce these unique experiences for fans both this year and in the years ahead.”
“The addition of four new telecasts this season will bring our total with ESPN to nine – a reflection of how this partnership continues to grow year-on-year,” said Sander J. Schouten, the Managing Director & Co-Founder of Beyond Sports. “Enabled by our technology, together we’re driving the evolution of fan engagement, creating new ways for fans to experience the game and redefining live sports storytelling.”
ESPN has partnered with Beyond Sports and its league partners on alternate sports telecasts since 2023, with the first animated altcast launched to coincide with the National Hockey League’s Big City Greens Classic that year. Since then, the partners have leveraged Disney’s intellectual property — including characters from Toy Story and The Simpsons — to offer altcasts of National Football League, National Hockey League and Major League Baseball games.
The renewed partnership will include those sports leagues plus the Women’s National Basketball Association over the next few years.
The next ESPN altcast is scheduled for Monday, December 8 during a “Monday Night Football” game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Los Angeles Chargers. ESPN’s cable multiplex is available through the streaming plan ESPN Unlimited, which costs $30 per month.
