ESPN holds web-TV talks

ESPN has reportedly held preliminary talks about offering its suite of channels to new web-based TV services being developed by the likes of Sony, Intel and Google. 

According to a Bloomberg report, the Walt Disney Company-owned sports network is looking at the potential of offering its entire channel offering – which includes its flagship channel, ESPN2 and ESPN News – to a web player and would not offer its channels on a one-off basis.

The report claims ESPN would want an internet provider to pay as much or more than cable and satellite services, though said that ESPN president John Skipper declined to say what companies it had spoken with.

The news follows a report earlier this month claiming that Sony has signed a preliminary deal with Viacom to carry the latter’s channels on its planned new online pay-TV service.

Sony is said to be planning to launch a service that will see it stream cable channels and on-demand programming over the web, to Sony devices like its PlayStation games console and Sony TV sets.

Intel is readying a similar set-top based web-TV service that is expected to launch later this year.