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ESPN3.com

File:Espn3.jpg
Country	United States
Availability	National
Owner	The Walt Disney Company (80%) Hearst Corporation (20%)
Launch date	2005
Former names	ESPN360.com
Official website	ESPN3.com

ESPN3, fomerly ESPN360.com, is a broadband network for live sports programming in North America, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Middle East and Europe (except Italy). In the U.S. the network can only be accessed through Internet service providers (ISPs) who have signed up and paid ESPN for the service. The entire service is paid by the individual as a part of their ISP cost, whether they use the service or not. (In that way, ESPN3 is similar to the ESPN cable networks, in which distributors sign carriage deals.) There are occasions where ESPN3 is "all access" and permits all individuals to access the site. These periods are advertised on the ESPN family of networks. Outside the U.S. the service is available via both subscribing and non-subscribing ISPs with some of the content offered on a subscription basis only.

ESPN3 began as ESPN360.com, which is more of an on-demand website. It re-launched as ESPN3 on April 4, 2010, to complement the main two ESPN channels, and began operating more like a cable television channel.^[1]

Beginning in 2008, ESPN3 is also offered free to all high-speed college and university (.edu) and U.S. military (.mil) IP addresses.

As of September 1, 2007 ESPN360.com relaunched with an "emphasis on live events" [1] including NCAA college football, NCAA college basketball (both men's and women's), NASCAR, NBA basketball, The Masters, Wimbledon and UEFA Champions League. Many of the games are simulcast from ESPN and ESPN2, while others (such as Serie A and Stanford 20/20) are exclusive U.S. broadcasts. ESPN360.com broadcasts often featured exclusive special features, such as additional courts at the Australian Open and Spanish streaming of UEFA Champions League matches.

The service was also the official U.S. rights holder for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup.

Beginning in August 2009, ESPN360.com began screening Australian rules football. Up to three matches a week from the Australian Football League are broadcast live or delayed on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at various time slots. Night games will screen live from 2AM PT/5AM EST onwards.

ESPN360.com allowed users to chose from up to 10 live games or events at once. The games and events can be watched on 6 different screens at once. The service allows users to pause, re-wind and fast-forward games and events.

Starting February 20, 2008, ESPN360.com began live streaming select games in HD-quality, beginning that day with the NBA game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Phoenix Suns that saw Shaquille O'Neal debut for the Suns. Since then, ESPN360.com has shown numerous events in HD, including additional basketball games and other special events, like The Masters.

ESPN3 uses Move Media Player technology.

• Major League Soccer
• Serie A
• La Liga
• Coppa Italia
• Euro 2008
• Russian Premier League
• Chinese Super League
• Dutch Eredivisie
• Portuguese Liga
• German Cup
• Football League Championship (England)
• Carling Cup

• NASCAR (2007–2008)
• IndyCar
• DIRT
• NHRA

• The Masters
• U.S. Open
• Kraft Nabisco Championship
• U.S. Women's Open

• U.S. Open
• Wimbledon
• French Open
• Australian Open

• College basketball
• NBA
• WNBA
• Euroleague

• Little League World Series
• NCAA baseball
• Major League Baseball (select games presented in High Definition)
• World Baseball Classic

• Heineken Cup European rugby championship
• Top 14 French national rugby championship
• IRB Sevens World Series rugby sevens (Olympic sport as of 2016) — all trophy finals of all legs of the series, plus all matches in the USA Sevens
• Six Nations Championship

• Australian Football League (Australian rules football)
• Canadian Football League
• College football
• Kontinental Hockey League (Russia, with teams also in Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Latvia)
• X Games
• Major League Lacrosse
• Super League (rugby league, Europe)
• World Series of Poker
• 2008 Rugby League World Cup
• Major League Gaming (Halo 3)
• 2008 NCAA Men's and Women's Swimming Championships
• Select boxing matches
• Cricket: Bangladesh Cricket will be shown on ESPN3. Three-year pact covers Bangladesh's international home matches through March 2012. Other matches shown previously were the 2008 Asia Cup and Stanford 20/20.

ESPN3 is only available to ISPs that have paid for the service. This has been a point of controversy^{[citation needed]}, since it leaves a large number of customers unable to use it. For instance, Time Warner Cable, the 2nd largest cable provider in the nation, has not paid for ESPN3.

To add to the controversy ESPN rolled over its online ESPN GamePlan package to ESPN3.com as of September 1, 2007. On-line viewers that do not have an ESPN3.com affiliated ISP will be unable to receive the GamePlan content online. However, individuals who do have an ESPN3 affiliated ISP will get the ESPN GamePlan or ESPN Full Court content online for free.[2]

As of February, 2009, however, if a "myESPN" account is tied to an affiliated ISP, ESPN3 can be accessed from a computer that is not on that ISP's network. This effectively makes ESPN3 access available to myESPN viewers outside their ISP's network.

An updated list of ESPN3 affiliates in the United States can be viewed here:
Affiliates List

• ESPN3 Website