Another thread was talking about Disney expanding outside of Orlando and Anaheim and someone mentioned ESPN as an example of that ..............

But isn't ESPN essentially a brand which Disney has kept at a distance from itself? You don't see statements like "Disney's ESPN" or for that matter "Disney's ABC Stations" etc. .......

Sure, you see ESPN franchise stores in DTD on both coasts, but they are also in New York and in other locations and they are not marketed or advertised as being "Disney".

My feeling is that ESPN and ABC would not profit by being part of the "Disney" umbrella so Disney corporate keeps those brands separate (as they should). Disney equals entertainment and although ESPN and ABC frequently cross the borders from journalism into entertainment, there is still an image that both of those stations want to foster of being providers of "news".

And certainly putting an ESPN franchise store in Las Vegas would not be indicative of Disney trying to establish themselves in that city ..........

Let me see...

Dan Patrick wearing mouse ears during his show.

Nah.... shouldn't happen.

You're absolutely right. Many people also don't know that Hyperion Books, Touchstone Pictures, Miramax, the Arts & Entertainment Network, and many other entertainment ventures are either wholly or partially owned by Disney. Then again not everybody knows that Spencer Gifts and uproar.com, for example, are part of Vivendi Universal. And let's not even talk about soft drinks and which bottled water/iced tea companies they own or which big breweries make which pseudo-microbrews, etc.

In today's marketplace it's very hard to know which corporate entity really benefits from each purchase decision we make. Disney is smart to attach that golden name to only certain of their ventures, but also to expand more quietly into other parts of the entertainment market.

Iceman - I don't know what's going on but we're starting to agree on things .......... kind of scary ...........

lani - not as far-fetched as you might think - Kenny Mayne, after all, was a stand-up comic before he was a sportscaster ..........
and actually isn't it true that after ESPN/ABC/Disney all came together we got those hilarious commercials about the indoor grass, the sending of an announcer down to the minor leagues and the mascots showing up in the commercials?

But essentially the ESPN brand is being built to stand on its own ......

You forgot E! and either Oxygen or Lifetime (they are the same thing:D)

What does Disney own...

Here you go...


http://www.cjr.org/owners/disney.asp

They also have like 20% interest in House of blues. Interesting that they are with Hollywood records and also part of a fuel company.:)

Originally posted by Darkbeer
What does Disney own...

Here you go...


http://www.cjr.org/owners/disney.asp

Wow... I never knew DIsney owned part of Tivo! :eek: