At a time when many cable carriage negotiations are public and nasty, ESPN and Comcast stayed under the radar as they signed a comprehensive 10-year deal – one that included retrans negotiations, new channel launches and new products. The deal, which includes all Disney-owned channels, will see 11 ESPN channels – ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN Deportes, ESPNEWS, ESPN Classic, ESPN Goal Line, ESPN Buzzer Beater, ESPN 3D, ESPN GamePlan, ESPN FullCourt – and the broadband channel ESPN3 on Comcast into the next decade.
The deal is an important further step toward TV Everywhere, in that Comcast negotiated the right to stream ESPN's channels to its authenticated subscribers via broadband, mobile and wireless. For the first time, Comcast subscribers will have access to the WatchESPN app that streams ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN3 to mobile and wireless subscribers. The deal also allows Comcast to put content from ESPN3, FullCourt and GamePlan on its sports and entertainment tier. The deal does not, however, include Longhorn Network.
The Comcast deal includes retrans agreements for seven local broadcast stations. Comcast will launch a new channel called Disney Junior.
