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| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Europe |
| Programming | |
| Picture format | 16:9 (576i, SDTV) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | ESPN Inc. (The Walt Disney Company/Hearst Communications) |
| Sister channels | ESPN America ESPN (UK) |
| History | |
| Launched | March 2002 |
| Closed | 1 August 2013 |
| Replaced by | BT Sport (UK) |
| Links | |
| Website | www.espnclassic.com |
ESPN Classic was a British-based European sports television channel which first launched in France in March 2002, followed by Italy in July 2002, and pan-Europe in December 2003.[1][2] On 13 March 2006 ESPN Classic launched on Sky channel 442 in the UK and Ireland,[3] the first channel in the UK under the ESPN branding. On 3 August 2009, ESPN Classic launched on Virgin Media channel 533 as a part of the XL pack,[4] and in early 2011 video on demand content started to appear on the Virgin Media platform.[5] On 14 August 2009, ESPN Classic launched on UPC Ireland channel 409 as a part of the Max package.[6] It broadcast a range of archive sports coverage, with a large emphasis on football.
On 25 February 2013, BT Group agreed to acquire ESPN's UK and Ireland TV channels business, consisting of ESPN and ESPN America, the value of the deal was not disclosed, but BT is understood to have paid "low tens of millions".[7] ESPN Classic, which was not part of the BT deal, ceased transmission on satellite across Europe, the Middle East and Africa at midnight on 1 August 2013.
- ^ "Classic Sport FAQ". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
- ^ "ESPN Classic to close after seven years on air". Sport-OnTheBox.com. 29 July 2013.
- ^ "Disney Cinemagic & ESPN Classic launch in March". Media 247. 27 February 2006. Archived from the original on 8 March 2012.
- ^ "Virgin Media and ESPN announce channel deal ahead of Premier League football season". Virgin Media. 29 July 2009.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "ESPN Classic VOD coming to Virgin Media". Digital Spy. 11 February 2011.
- ^ "Chorus ntl to carry ESPN HD in Ireland". Digital Spy. 14 August 2009.
- ^ "BT buys ESPN'S UK and Ireland TV channels". The Guardian. 25 February 2013.