New round of layoffs looms at Bristol-based sports-media giant ESPN

ESPN officials indicated Tuesday that the sports-media giant would make a number of layoffs related to its recent acquisition of NFL Network. 

The new round of downsizing at the Bristol-based organization was disclosed in a memo sent Tuesday morning to ESPN employees that was obtained by CT Insider. The plan, which will apparently affect a number of on-air personalities according to media reports, has surfaced about six months after ESPN completed the deal that included the acquisition of NFL Network, which is available on cable and satellite television, as well as a number of online platforms. 

"Over the past several months, we've made significant progress integrating the NFL assets that we acquired into ESPN," Jimmy Pitaro, ESPN's chairman, said in the memo. "Throughout this process, we have taken the time to carefully evaluate our collective teams, resources and organizational structure to best position us for the future. As a result, we had to make some difficult decisions about job impacts that we will be communicating today."

Pitaro added: "While most of the job impacts are tied to the acquisition, we will also notify colleagues in other parts of the company today that their positions have been impacted. We are committed to treating employees with compassion and respect and to providing support as they navigate this transition. Even in moments like these, the strength of ESPN comes from our people, our teamwork and our shared mission to serve sports fans."

In response to an inquiry from CT Insider, ESPN officials declined to comment further on the matter. As a result, it was not entirely clear if or how the apparent layoffs would affect ESPN's coverage of the 2026 NFL season, which will culminate with Super Bowl LXI on Feb. 14. The game will be carried on ESPN and ABC, the broadcast network of ESPN's parent company, The Walt Disney Co. It will be ESPN's first time airing the most watched game in American sports. 

There have been other job cuts in the past few years at ESPN. In 2023, for instance, it laid off a number of on-air personalities, as part of a plan at parent company The Walt Disney Co., to cut about 7,000 employees. 

ESPN remains one of the largest corporate employers in Connecticut. About 3,600 employees were based at its main campus in Bristol, according to an update that the organization provided last September.  

Hearst Corp., the parent company of CT Insider, has an 18% ownership stake in ESPN. Other investors in ESPN include the NFL, which gained a 10% stake as part of the NFL Network deal. 

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