ESPN3 Quietly Killed, Dealing Blow to Sling TV

ESPN3 is gone. If you go to ESPN’s website, you’ll see there’s nothing listed on the ESPN3 schedule. On Sling TV’s help page, the link that says “Finding Games on ESPN3” simply redirects back to the Help page.

ESPN3 was a 24/7 live digital network that aired 7,000+ live events, featuring more than 40 major global sports every year, including 380 college football games, 1,000+ college basketball games, NCAA championships coverage, all four tennis majors, ATP/WA events, X Games, golf, and more.

The channel was particularly helpful for Sling TV subscribers because it would carry any sports that aired on ABC. Because Sling only offers ABC in 9 markets, ESPN3 was a wonderful workaround for subscribers in other areas of the country.

Disney has been furious with Sling over its short-term passes, allowing users to stream ESPN for as little as 24 hours. Disney even sued Sling over the passes, but a judge ruled against Disney and Sling spiked the football by offering their day passes for just $1. Killing ESPN3 definitely sends a message to Sling.

Georgia-based cable provider CNSNext warned of the ESPN3 shutdown in an Instagram post on Nov. 7.

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Where Did the ESPN3 Sports Go?

Now that ESPN has bulked up its app with the ESPN Select and Unlimited plans, there’s not as much need for a fringe channel that mostly served as a secondary broadcast of sports on ABC. Any sports that were ESPN3-exclusive will likely move to the apps.