ESPN Net Worth & Earnings

Updated April 1, 2024

ESPN, the sports broadcasting giant, has proven to be an incredibly profitable venture for The Walt Disney Co. In a recent SEC filing, it was revealed that ESPN generated a staggering $16 billion in revenue in fiscal 2022, with profits reaching $2.9 billion. These numbers highlight the immense success and financial viability of the sports business for Disney.

Under the leadership of CEO Bob Iger, Disney underwent a reorganization earlier this year, aiming to prioritize creativity within the company. As part of this restructuring, ESPN will now have its own division, separate from Disney's linear TV and streaming assets. Jimmy Pitaro, a prominent figure in the sports industry, will lead this new division.

While ESPN's revenue primarily comes from pay TV carriage fees, amounting to $10.1 billion, advertising revenue also plays a significant role, contributing $4.4 billion. However, the rise of cord-cutting has posed challenges for ESPN, as it has experienced the impact of declining pay TV subscriptions. Despite this, the profitability of ESPN remains evident, prompting Disney to maintain its focus on the sports broadcasting giant.

Disney's traditional entertainment business, which includes its TV networks, streaming services, film, and TV studios, generated revenues of $39.6 billion in fiscal 2022. However, profits for this division amounted to $2.1 billion, primarily due to the yet-to-be-profitable streaming business.

Looking ahead, Disney is actively seeking partners to become minority shareholders in ESPN. The company aims to enhance its flagship product and make it more compelling, particularly as it plans to expand its streaming offerings. Hearst, an early investor in ESPN, currently holds a 20 percent stake in the channel.

The financial success of ESPN underscores its importance within The Walt Disney Co. and the broader sports industry. With its own dedicated division and a focus on strategic partnerships, ESPN continues to solidify its position as a leading player in the world of sports broadcasting.

The Sports channel ESPN has attracted 11 million subscribers on YouTube. It was founded in 2005.

One common question we hear is: What is ESPN's net worth or how much does ESPN earn? No one beyond ESPN can say for sure, but here's what we think.

Table of Contents

ESPN net worth
ESPN earnings

What is ESPN's net worth?

ESPN has an estimated net worth of about $71.31 million.

While ESPN's exact net worth is unclear, networthspot.com pulls online data to make a prediction of $71.31 million.

That estimate only uses one income stream however. ESPN's net worth may possibly be higher than $71.31 million. When we consider many revenue sources, ESPN's net worth could be as high as $99.83 million.

ESPN: A Lucrative Sports Business

Just how profitable is ESPN to The Walt Disney Co.? For the first time, there’s a clear answer, and it shows just how lucrative the sports business is for the company. Beginning next quarter, Disney will change how it reports its quarterly financials. The move comes after CEO Bob Iger’s reorganization earlier this year to “to restore creativity to the center of our business.” The new structure will consist of parks and experiences, entertainment and sports (which is almost entirely ESPN, with Star-branded sports channels in India comprising a small portion). Whereas before ESPN was lumped in with all of Disney’s linear TV and streaming assets in the Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution division, and before that was folded into its other TV assets, including ABC and the Disney cable channels, it will now occupy its own division, led by Jimmy Pitaro. According to an SEC filing Wednesday that outlines the new financial reporting structure, ESPN delivered $16 billion in revenue in fiscal 2022 (the company’s fiscal year ended Oct. 2022), and had profits of $2.9 billion. For comparison, the new “entertainment” division, which includes Disney’s other TV networks and streaming services, as well as its film and TV studios, had revenues of $39.6 billion in fiscal 2022 … but profits of only $2.1 billion, thanks to Disney’s yet-to-be-profitable streaming business. That lucrative profit margin for ESPN underscores why the company seems intent to keep it for the time being, and why it was so eager to cut a deal with Charter Communications and end its blackout last month. Indeed, a deeper read of the finances show that most of ESPN’s revenues came from pay TV carriage fees ($10.1 billion), compared with advertising revenue of $4.4 billion. As cord-cutting has worsened, ESPN has bore the brunt of it for Disney, thanks to its lucrative carriage deals. It’s worth noting that before Disney began spending billions on streaming, the filing shows that its traditional entertainment business was very profitable, and the “peak losses” at Disney+ pushed them down last year. Now Disney is looking for partners to become minority shareholders in ESPN, with sports chief Jimmy Pitaro saying earlier this year the company wants “partners that we think can make the flagship product more compelling” as it plans a streaming offering. Hearst, an early investor in ESPN, continues to own a 20 percent stake in the channel.

How much does ESPN earn?

ESPN earns an estimated $17.83 million a year.

There’s one question that every ESPN fan out there just can’t seem to get their head around: How much does ESPN earn?

When we look at the past 30 days, ESPN's channel gets 297.12 million views each month and around 9.9 million views each day.

YouTube channels that are monetized earn revenue by serving. Monetized YouTube channels may earn $3 to $7 per every one thousand video views. Using these estimates, we can estimate that ESPN earns $1.19 million a month, reaching $17.83 million a year.

Some YouTube channels earn even more than $7 per thousand video views. If ESPN earns on the higher end, ads could generate over $32.09 million a year.

ESPN likely has additional revenue sources. Additional revenue sources like sponsorships, affiliate commissions, product sales and speaking gigs may generate much more revenue than ads.