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ESPN is gearing up for Super Bowl LXI in February 2027 with a major focus during Disney's upfront presentation. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and several Super Bowl MVPs highlighted the event, showcasing new initiatives and a beachfront broadcast center in Santa Monica.
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ESPNâs first Super Bowl, happening in February 2027, is predictably getting super treatment by the networkâand then some.
The upcoming Super Bowl LXI, set for SoFi Stadium, was a central element of parent company Disneyâs upfront presentation to advertisers late Tuesday in New York. Even for a network rarely known for doing anything in half-measures, the NFL title game is commanding heightened focus across the company.
Among the Super Bowlârelated elements part of the upfront event:
âWith the 61st pick of the Super Bowl, the NFL selects ESPN,â Goodell said, mimicking his typical podium cadence from the NFL Draft.
These latest efforts supplement the existing corporate focus on the upcoming Super Bowlâsomething that deeply involves Disneyâs entertainment and experiences divisions.
Super Bowl LXI is scheduled for February 14, 2027, at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and several Super Bowl MVPs, including Peyton and Eli Manning, attended the presentation.
ESPN is developing a beachfront broadcast center at Santa Monica Pier, which will host Super Bowl-related shows and serve as a fan destination.
The NFL has become an investor in ESPN following a large-scale equity deal, which also includes ESPN managing NFL RedZone distribution.
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Beyond this initial opportunity for ESPN to fully integrate itself with the biggest event in sports, the stakes around Super Bowl LXI are massive. Super Bowl LX in February averaged 125.6 million viewers, just missing a U.S. television industry record set in 2025. The opportunity for a new milestone, however, is wide open between the combined distribution of the upcoming game on ESPN, sister broadcast network ABC, and several Disney digital properties, and the likely arrival this fall of an enhanced methodology from Nielsen for measuring co-viewing.
Along similar lines, ESPN reporter and host Laura Rutledge said onstage that she expects Super Bowl LXI to be the most-watched Super Bowl ever.
Disneyâs initial ask for Super Bowl advertising, meanwhile, has reportedly hovered around $10 million per 30 seconds, shattering prior marks for the game. There has been pushback to that, but even with some retreat on pricing, a series of records is likely to be set there, too. The initial work toward that will happen this week as media giants such as Disney make their upfront pitches to advertisers.
Earlier Tuesday, ESPN also unveiled its first matchup next season on MNF, a Broncos-Chiefs clash that could mark the return of injured Kansas City star quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Meanwhile, ESPN additionally said at the upfront that the NFL Network will carry a Week 9 international game from Madrid involving the Bengals and Falcons.
The upfront was also the first since Disney CEO Josh DâAmaro began in the new role in March, and closely follows last weekâs quarterly earnings report that detailed some near-term choppiness for ESPN.
The post Super Bowl LXI Gets the Star Treatment at Disney Upfronts appeared first on Front Office Sports.