MUMBAI: After exiting the Asian market post its stake sale in sports broadcasting joint venture to Rupert Murdoch?s News Corp, The Walt Disney Company owned sports network ESPN has now shut its Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) operations as it seeks to concentrate on its core market, US, where it has to battle an aggressive Fox Sports Network.

ESPN has closed down ESPN Classic throughout the EMEA region and the non-UK ESPN America TV businesses.

Like in Asia, ESPN will continue to own and operate its existing digital media businesses which include multisport news and information portal ESPN.co.uk, ESPNcricinfo (cricket), ESPNFC (football), ESPNscrum (rugby), ESPNF1 (Formula 1) and broadband streaming service ESPN Player. ESPN Classic has been excluded from the proposed transaction.

The BT Group, which is launching sports channels in UK in summer, has decided to acquire ESPN?s UK and Ireland TV channels business. These primarily comprise the ESPN and ESPN America channels and their live sports rights portfolio, including the FA Cup, Clydesdale Bank Scottish Premier League, UEFA Europa League, and the German Bundesliga.

ESPN had been mulling for quite some time to exit UK ever since it lost the lucrative English Premier League (EPL) rights to BT last year. The British telecom major had last year bagged EPL rights for ?246 million.

The transaction is expected to complete on 31 July after which BT will continue to operate at least one ESPN-branded channel which is expected to form part of the BT Sport TV package that will be launched by BT this summer.

Additionally, the deal will allow BT to continue to show a host of US sports currently shown on ESPN America, including NCAA College Basketball, NCAA College Football and NASCAR. The ESPN channels will be broadcast from BT Sport?s new home in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford. Until completion, the service for current subscribers to the ESPN channels across all television platforms remains unchanged.

The deal will enable BT Sport customers to see live coverage of the FA Cup for the 2013/14 season, the Clydesdale Bank Scottish Premier League until the end of the 2016/17 season and the UEFA Europa League and German Bundesliga through to the end of the 2014/15 season.

These join the broadcast rights that BT Sport has previously announced, including 38 live Barclays Premier League matches - including 18 of the top clashes - in each of the next three seasons (beginning August 2013); 69 live Aviva Premiership Rugby matches for the next four seasons; and up to 800 hours per season of live women?s tennis, including the TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships.

BT Retail chief executive of television Marc Watson said, "We are delighted to have reached agreement with ESPN for the acquisition of their UK channels business and that we have been able to add some exciting new sports rights to the ones we already have.

"The FA Cup, Scottish Premier League and Europa League rights will allow us to offer customers of BT Sport even more quality live football, including our first games from the Scottish top flight and our first European competition rights. There will also be the best of US sports available courtesy of this deal, which will further broaden the appeal of BT Sport."

ESPN - Europe, Middle East and Africa MD Ross Hair said, "We could not be more proud of the TV channels built and nurtured by our talented team over the past four years. The value of that hard work is reflected in this deal with BT and the continuation of ESPN on television screens across the UK and Ireland. The same passion, commitment and innovation will be at the heart of how we develop our strong digital media business into the future."

MUMBAI: The Walt Disney Company?s net profit for the first quarter ended 29 December fell six per cent to $1.38 billion from $1.46 billion in the same quarter of preceding fiscal due to increase in programming costs at ESPN and decline in studio entertainment revenues.

Disney?s revenues grew five per cent to $11.3 billion, up from $10.7 billion in the corresponding quarter.

?After delivering another record year of growth in 2012, we?re off to a solid start in Fiscal 2013,? said The Walt Disney Chairman and CEO Robert A. Iger. ?Our ongoing success is driven by our long-term strategy, the strength of our brands and businesses, and our high quality family entertainment."

Media Networks revenues for the quarter increased 7 per cent to $5.1 billion and segment operating income increased 2 per cent to $1.2 billion.

Operating income at Cable Networks decreased $15 million to $952 million for the quarter due to a decrease at ESPN, partially offset by growth at the domestic Disney Channels, ABC Family and A&E Television Networks (AETN).

The decrease at ESPN was driven by higher programming and production costs, partially offset by higher affiliate revenue.

Operating income at Broadcasting increased $36 million to $262 million driven by increased advertising revenues at the ABC Television Network and owned television stations and higher program sales, partially offset by higher primetime network programming costs.

Parks and Resorts revenues for the quarter increased 7 per cent to $3.4 billion and segment operating income increased 4 per cent to $577 million. Results for the quarter were driven by an increase at our domestic operations, partially offset by a decrease at our international operations.

Studio Entertainment revenues decreased 5 per cent to $1.5 billion and segment operating income decreased 43 per cent to $234 million.

Lower operating income for the quarter was driven by decreases in home entertainment and theatrical distribution, partially offset by an increase in television and subscription video on demand (TV/SVOD) distribution.

Consumer Products revenues increased 7 per cent to $1.0 billion and segment operating income increased 11 per cent to $346 million. Higher operating income was due to increases at Merchandise Licensing and at our retail business.

Interactive revenues for the quarter increased 4 per cent to $291 million and segment operating results improved from a loss of $28 million to income of $9 million. Higher operating results were driven by lower acquisition accounting impacts at our social games business which were adverse in the prior-year quarter and growth at our Japan mobile business from a new licensing agreement for Disney branded mobile phones and content.

MUMBAI: Rupert Murdoch-controlled News Corp?s payout to ESPN for the 50 per cent stake buy in ESPN Star Sports (ESS) is $220 million, net of cash.

In November 2012, News Corp said it acquired the stake of ESPN in ESS for approximately $335 million. So this implies that ESS had a cash balance of $115 million at the time of buying out ESPN?s stake in the company.

ESPN, the American sports television network, said Wednesday in its first quarter financial results that it has gained $219 million from the sale of its 50 per cent interest in ESS, its Asian sports joint venture with rival News Corp.

ESPN last year sold its stake in the JV for $335 million thereby valuing ESS at $770 million. ESS, which is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of News Corp, has been renamed as Fox Star Sports Asia.

Except in India, the ESPN brand name has also been dropped across Asia and all the channels have been renamed Fox Sports in markets where it had a presence.

"EPS for the current quarter includes a gain on the sale of our 50 per cent interest in ESPN STAR Sports of $219 million," The Walt Disney Company said in its October-December first quarter results.

The gain from sale of equity interest in ESS helped ESPN to partially offset lower operating results during the quarter.

MUMBAI: ESPN has acquired the US media rights for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, the premier championship for national soccer teams in the continent of Africa.

ESPN3, the company?s live multi-screen sports network available in 83 million homes, will be the primary home for live presentation of the three-week tournament in South Africa that began 19 January through 10 February.

ESPN Deportes, the 24-hour Spanish-language sports network, will televise the semifinals and final matches on delay. This is the first time Africa?s most prominent soccer championship will be available in the United States via a media platform reaching a mass audience.

The agreement includes access to match highlights across ESPN media platforms such as ESPN FC, the company?s sole destination for soccer content; studio news, highlights and analysis programs such as SportsCenter, ESPN FC Press Pass on ESPNEWS, as well as SportsCenter and Los Capitanes on ESPN Deportes.

This year?s Africa Cup of Nations is the 29th edition of the tournament. Teams representing 16 nations compete in the tournament, following a qualification process among the 54 member nations of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), the governing body for the sport of soccer in Africa.

The winner of the tournament will represent Africa in the 2013 Fifa Confederations Cup in Brazil, 15-30 June, competing in Group B along with Spain (Europe), Uruguay (South America) and Tahiti (Oceana).

Regarded as one of the most festive and colorful soccer tournaments among Fifa?s six football confederations, the African Cup of Nations (Afcon) features some of the best soccer professionals in the top European leagues. The competition is held every two years.