ESPN earns ‘SBJ’ 2026 Media Company, Deal of the Year honors
ESPN earned Media Company of the Year honors, reflecting its innovation and fan-focused growth, and — alongside the NFL— was recognized for a landmark 2025 deal acquiring key NFL Media assets
(Photos: Santa Brito/ESPN; ESPN Images; Illustration: Andrea DiCristoforo)
David Roberts (EVP, Executive Editor, Sports News and Entertainment) accepted the SBJ Media Company of the Year honor. (Santa Brito/ESPN)
Chara-Lynn Aguiar (EVP, CFO, Research, Strategy And Office of the Chairman) accepted the Deal of The Year Award. (Santa Brito/ESPN)NEW YORK – ESPN earned two major honors Wednesday night at the Sport Business Journal’s 2026 Sports Business Awards.
Among the evening’s top honors, ESPN was recognized as Media Company of the Year. From industry-leading live events and storytelling to continued growth in direct-to-consumer, digital innovation and serving fans across every platform, this honor is a testament to our creativity, passion and commitment of teams throughout ESPN and The Walt Disney Company.
In a joint award, ESPN and the NFL were recognized for Deal of the Year following the companies’ landmark 2025 agreement that saw ESPN acquire key NFL Media assets — including NFL Network, NFL RedZone distribution and NFL Fantasy Football — in exchange for a 10% equity stake. The agreement expands our footprint across linear and streaming platforms, while giving the NFL long-term upside, creating a more integrated, one-stop destination for football fans in the evolving media landscape.
The annual Sports Business Awards celebrate excellence across sports media, technology, marketing, partnerships, events and league operations.
This year’s ceremony was held at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square and brought together leaders from across the sports business industry.
Since the launch of the Sports Business Awards in 2008, ESPN has consistently been recognized among the industry’s leaders across sports media, digital innovation and transformational partnerships.
The recognition continues ESPN’s momentum across a transformative year for the company, including record-setting audience performance, expanded direct-to-consumer initiatives, innovative presentations and major strategic partnerships across the sports landscape.
