On an earnings call this week, Disney CEO Bob Iger shared that Disney is planning on having its stand alone streaming service for ESPN in place by the fall of 2025. Disney promised that this new streaming service would provide innovative digital features and create a one-stop sports destination that is unlike anything else available in the marketplace today.
“It will provide many more features” for sports fans, including betting and fantasy sports and deeper statistics, said Iger, of the broader ESPN direct-to-consumer service. He went on to call it a “sports lovers’ delight.”
Along with announcing this new streaming service timeline, Disney also announced that Coach Nick Saban is joining ESPN’s lineup. This comes after his recent retirement from the University of Alabama. Disney shared that Saban will be working primarily as an analyst on the set of College GameDay Built by The Home Depot (regular season and post-season editions), ESPN’s award-winning weekly college football road show. He will also contribute to ESPN’s extensive, multi-day NFL Draft coverage, and make appearances tied to SEC Media Days across ESPN platforms, including SEC Network.
“ESPN and College GameDay have played such an important role in the growth of college football, and I’m honored to have the opportunity to join their team,” said Saban. “I’ll do my best to offer additional insights and perspectives to contribute to College GameDay, the ultimate Saturday tradition for college football fans.”
Saban will be joining a team on College GameDay that includes host Rece Davis, analysts Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard and Pat McAfee, as well as college football insider Pete Thamel, reporters Jen Lada and Jess Sims, and college football betting analyst ‘Stanford Steve’ Coughlin. He has had many guest appearances through the years on this show.
ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro said: “Nick Saban is a singular, iconic presence in college football. He is also an extremely gifted communicator, who will immediately add even more credibility, authority and entertainment value to ESPN, including our esteemed College GameDay show.”
Disney promises that specific details about Saban’s arrival at ESPN, including his first assignment, will be announced at a later date.
About Nick Saban and ESPN’s College GameDay Built by The Home Depot
Over the course of 28 years as a college coach, Saban’s track record of success is historic. He has captured seven national championships, including six at Alabama (one at LSU). His record as a head coach is 292-71-1, and he won 12 conference championships and 19 bowl games. His teams never had a losing record for a season.
In addition to the past 17 years at Alabama (since 2007), Saban also served as head coach at LSU (2000-04), Michigan State (1995-99) and Toledo (1990). He was also head coach of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins (2005-06).
ESPN’s College GameDay Built by The Home Depot had a monumental 2023, celebrating its 30th season on the road (37th season overall) and finishing as the second most-watched season since 2011 and fourth-best all time.
