More Animated Altcasts Coming as ESPN Expands Agreement with Sony's Beyond Sports

ESPN is strengthening its commitment to innovation and the use of state-of-the-art technology by expanding its agreement with Sony’s Beyond Sports.

What's Happening:

• With this expanded agreement, ESPN and Sony’s Beyond Sports, along with Sony’s Hawk-Eye Innovations technology, will continue to produce alternate telecasts going forward. These telecasts will utilize Disney’s extensive portfolio of Intellectual Property to transform live gameplay into real-time animations, a concept first introduced to fans by ESPN in 2023.
• Uses of the technology so far have included "The Simpsons Funday Football," "NHL Big City Greens Classic” and "Disney Dunk the Halls."
• Future animated telecasts for a NFL, NHL, NBA, and WNBA game will be produced by ESPN across Disney's various platforms during the 2025-26 season. More alternate telecasts are planned for the 2026-27 sports calendar year.
• Audience expansion is at the heart of these animated alternate casts, designed to foster co-viewing and attract casual fans through innovative presentation and strategic distribution.
• ESPN research highlights that most children watch these telecasts with an adult, and non-sports fans contribute to a large portion of the social buzz. Leveraging Disney platforms like Disney+ for these alt-casts has broadened the audience, driving growth.

What They're Saying:

• Kevin Lopes, Vice President, Sports Business Development & Innovation at ESPN: “At ESPN, innovation has always been a driver in serving sports fans, including reaching new audiences. 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.”
• Sander J. Schouten, Managing Director & Co-Founder of Beyond Sports: “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. 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.”

More ESPN News:

• The 2025 Peraton Armed Forces Classic, featuring a first-of-its-kind women’s college basketball game, is being moved to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.
• The NFL is moving its popular Pro Bowl event to Super Bowl week this February, which will air live across several Disney-owned networks.
• Disney and the NFL have reached a new agreement that could see a major shift in the relationship between sports leagues and sports media.
• ESPN has announced that they have reached a number of multi-year extensions with some of their NBA writers and reporters.