ESPN Timeline By etimothy84 Sep 7, 1979 ESPN Launches Sep 1, 1980 Became 24/7 network Apr 3, 1983 ESPN Goes International Jun 20, 1983 First Sports Telecast in Stereo Jan 4, 1984 ABC Acquires ESPN Jan 31, 1987 ESPN Airs America's Cup Live from Australia Mar 15, 1987 NFL Awards ESPN First Cable Contract Mar 5, 1989 ESPN and MLB Agree to 4-Year Contract Mar 5, 1989 First "Minicam" (NASCAR Winston Cup "Crewcam") Jan 1, 1992 ESPN Radio Launches Mar 4, 1993 First ESPY Awards, Birth of V Foundation Jimmy V Speech Oct 1, 1993 ESPN2 Launches Apr 1, 1995 ESPNet SportsZone Launches Feb 9, 1996 Disney Acquires ESPN Oct 9, 1997 ESPN Acquires Classic Sports Network Mar 11, 1998 ESPN the Magazine Debuts Sep 27, 1998 Virtual "1st and 10 Line" Debuts Jul 1, 2001 MLB K-Zone Launches Dec 13, 2002 ESPN Reaches Agreement with NBA Mar 30, 2003 ESPN HD Debuts Jan 7, 2004 ESPN Deportes Launches Mar 4, 2005 ESPNU Launches Apr 18, 2005 ESPN Acquires Monday Night Football Mar 13, 2006 ESPN UK Debuts Feb 1, 2011 ESPN Reaches 100 Million Households Apr 7, 2011 WatchESPN App Launches
