Right now, Disney is very happy to have ESPN amongst its many entertainment properties, but that could change. That was evident last week during the company’s upfront presentation to advertisers.
Still, rumors persist about Bob Chapek being willing to spin off the network as its own company. Dylan Byers of Puck News reports that one rumor making the round has Disney setting ESPN up for a merger with EA Sports.
EA Sports, the maker of popular sports video game franchises like the Madden and FIFA series, was near a deal with NBCUniversal for a merger. That fell apart due to a disagreement over the price and power structure of the new company. That leaves EA as a free agent and Disney, Amazon and Apple have all expressed interest.
A merger with the video game giant would make a lot of sense for ESPN. It would give that network a significant presence with the exclusive video game of the NFL. It would also position the network to be a major part of the revived college football video game, which is set to return to the market in 2023.
Byers writes that there is “some notable history” between Disney and EA Sports.
“In 2018, following the sudden resignation of ESPN chief John Skipper, then-Disney CEO Bob Iger tried to recruit [Electronic Arts CEO Andrew] Wilson to be the head of the sports network. Wilson passed and the job went to Jimmy Pitaro.”
Electronic Arts, EA Sports’ parent company, would be a smart acquisition for Disney. Electronic Arts already has a partnership to make the Star Wars video games. Acquiring the company would not only give ESPN a presence across all of EA Sports’ titles. It would also give Disney an in-house studio to develop new video games for its mega-franchises like Marvel and Pixar.
Wilson has been aggressive in the past about partnering with Disney. As recently as March, according to Byers, he was pitching the company on “a more meaningful relationship” than just marketing deals. Bob Chapek rejected that proposal. The difference between what was proposed then and what a future deal between ESPN and EA Sports might look like in unclear.
