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{{Short description|British-based European sports television channel (2002-2013)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2016}}
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| owner = [[ESPN Inc.]] ([[The Walt Disney Company]]/[[Hearst Communications]])
| replaced_by = [[BT Sport]] (UK)
| country = [[United Kingdom]]
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'''ESPN Classic''' was a British-based European sports television channel which first launched in France in March 2002, followed by Italy in July 2002, and pan-Europe in December 2003.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.espn.com/sitetools/s/contact/classicsportfaq.html|title=Classic Sport FAQ|work=ESPN.com|access-date=2 October 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://sport-onthebox.com/2013/07/29/espn-classic-to-close-on-july-31/|title=ESPN Classic to close after seven years on air|publisher=Sport-OnTheBox.com|date=29 July 2013}}</ref> On 13 March 2006 ESPN Classic launched on [[Sky (UK and Ireland)|Sky]] channel 442 in the UK and Ireland,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://media247.co.uk/skydigital/newsarchive/2006/02/sky_launch_conf.php|title=Disney Cinemagic & ESPN Classic launch in March|publisher=Media 247|date=2006-02-27|
On 25 February 2013, [[BT Group]] agreed to acquire ESPN's UK and Ireland TV channels business, consisting of ESPN and ESPN America, the value of the deal was not disclosed, but BT is understood to have paid "low tens of millions".<ref>{{cite
==Programming==
Much of the channel's output was football. This included action from the [[Premier League]], [[FA Cup]] matches, [[UEFA Champions League|European Cup]], [[UEFA Cup Winners' Cup|European Cup Winners Cup]] and [[Football League Cup|League Cup]] finals and some [[England national football team|England]] games. ESPN Classic also showed games from the [[FIFA World Cup]] following a multi-year deal to show 150 classic FIFA World Cup matches from [[1930 FIFA World Cup|1930]] to [[2006 FIFA World Cup|2006]].<ref name="Classic World Cup">{{cite web|url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/broadcasting/a180510/espn-secures-archive-world-cup-footage.html|title=ESPN secures archive World Cup footage|
A significant proportion of the football action on ESPN Classic was archive [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] football coverage, including matches covered by regional ITV companies. However much of the football seen on the channel was not shown with the original commentary. Instead, many games, especially the Premier League and FA Cup games, tended to feature commentary dubbed on more recently by [[Jon Champion]] and Paul Dempsey, or commentary by [[Sky Sports]] broadcasters such as [[Martin Tyler]] and [[Alan Parry]] which seemed to be from the international feed of the time. Similarly, the footage from games where commentary was later added did not include original on-screen captions, with ESPN adding captions themselves. Some 1960s European Cup finals also had a new commentary dubbed on by [[Tony Jones (football reporter)|Tony Jones]].
The channel also showed some [[rugby union]] international matches, including action from the [[Rugby World Cup]], as well as past matches from the rugby union Premiership. Other sports featured included [[cricket]], ESPN-produced vintage [[boxing]] matches, [[The Ultimate Fighter]] and more recently, action from American sports to complement the live American sports action which was broadcast on [[ESPN (UK)|ESPN]] and [[ESPN America]].
In addition to the programmes mentioned above, ESPN Classic had made a variety of other programmes. These included ''Sports Years'' as well as many football compilation programmes. In addition, to mark the 30th anniversary of [[ESPN]], the channel showed the [[ESPN Films]]' ''[[30 for 30]]'' series.
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==BBC-produced programming==
During the first three years of the channel sporting action from the BBC was featured extensively. However, this deal expired in mid 2009 and was seemingly not renewed as for the next eighteen months the channel did not feature any sport produced by the BBC. Therefore, sports such as [[rugby league]], [[golf]], [[Athletics (sport)|athletics]], [[darts]] and [[snooker]] were not shown on the channel nor were events such as domestic cricket prior to 1999 (the year that the BBC lost the rights to show live cricket), [[Wimbledon tennis]], the [[Olympic Games]] and football coverage to which the BBC had the exclusive rights, which had included showings of 1970s and 1980s editions of [[Match of the Day]] under the title of "The Dead Good Match" with the opening and closing titles removed, and some editions were truncated, with only one of the matches covered in a particular programme being shown. One exception had been BBC-produced coverage of rugby union's [[Rugby Union Six Nations Championship|Five Nations]] tournament shown during the [[2011 Six Nations Championship]].
In March 2011, a new deal between ESPN and the BBC was signed which provided ESPN Classic with access to around 80 hours of footage.<ref name="ESPN Classic makes deal to show sports from BBC's archive">{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2011/mar/31/espn-classic-makes-deal-with-bbc-to-show-archive-footage|title=ESPN secures archive BBC footage|publisher=
▲During the first three years of the channel sporting action from the BBC was featured extensively. However, this deal expired in mid 2009 and was seemingly not renewed as for the next eighteen months the channel did not feature any sport produced by the BBC. Therefore, sports such as [[rugby league]], [[golf]], [[Athletics (sport)|athletics]], [[darts]] and [[snooker]] were not shown on the channel nor were events such as domestic cricket prior to 1999 (the year that the BBC lost the rights to show live cricket), [[Wimbledon tennis]], the [[Olympic Games]] and football coverage to which the BBC had the exclusive rights, which had included showings of 1970s and 1980s editions of [[Match of the Day]] under the title of "The Dead Good Match" with the opening and closing titles removed, and some editions were truncated, with only one of the matches covered in a particular programme being shown. One exception had been BBC-produced coverage of rugby union's [[Rugby Union Six Nations Championship|Five Nations]] tournament shown during the [[2011 Six Nations Championship]].
▲In March 2011, a new deal between ESPN and the BBC was signed which provided ESPN Classic with access to around 80 hours of footage.<ref name="ESPN Classic makes deal to show sports from BBC's archive">{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2011/mar/31/espn-classic-makes-deal-with-bbc-to-show-archive-footage|title=ESPN secures archive BBC footage|publisher=''[[Media Guardian]]''|date=31 March 2011}}</ref> However, this was far less than under the previous agreement which had given the channel access to around 630 hours. The new deal meant that previous ESPN-produced programmes based on the BBC archive, such as the darts series ''Bellies and Bullseyes'', were once again shown on the channel along with new programmes, such as athletics series ''Solid Gold - Team GB'' and other one-off programmes such as a compilation of top Grand Nationals. This new deal with BBC Sport coincided with a new look for the channel, the first new look since ESPN UK launched in summer 2009.
==Live action==
ESPN Classic occasionally showed live action when two events to which ESPN has the rights took place at the same time. The first live sport that the channel showed was two [[UEFA Europa League]] matches, on 29 September and 20 October 2011. The first of the two games was [[NK Maribor|Maribor]] and [[Birmingham City F.C.|Birmingham]].
▲ESPN Classic occasionally showed live action when two events to which ESPN has the rights took place at the same time. The first live sport that the channel showed was two [[UEFA Europa League]] matches, on 29 September and 20 October 2011. The first of the two games was [[NK Maribor|Maribor]] and [[Birmingham City F.C.|Birmingham]].
On 9 January 2012, the channel broadcast the third evening of the [[BDO World Darts Championship]] because the main channel was showing a third round match from the [[FA Cup]]. This happened again a year later when for the same reason ESPN Classic again showed the third evening's action.
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{{ESPN}}
{{Television in the Netherlands}}
{{Italian television stations}}
{{Sports television channels in Italy}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Espn Classic (Uk)}}
[[Category:ESPN media outlets|Classic]]
[[Category:Defunct television channels in the Netherlands]]
[[Category:Defunct television channels in Italy]]
[[Category:Television channels in Flanders]]
[[Category:Television channels in Belgium]]
[[Category:Television channels in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Sports television channels in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Sports television in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Sports television in Poland]]
[[Category:
[[Category:Italian-language television stations]]
[[Category:2002 establishments in Italy]]
[[Category:2013 disestablishments in Italy]]
[[Category:Television channels and stations established in 2002]]
[[Category:Television channels and stations disestablished in 2013]]
[[Category:Classic television networks]]
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