The Walt Disney Company’s positive earnings call this week also contained some long-term concerns for the media giant – specifically around what it’s spending on sports rights.

While Disney reported $4.9 billion in revenue for its sports business last fiscal quarter, that also featured a sports segment operating income decline around $100 million, which the company attributed to higher rights costs.

As live sports rights fees continue to balloon, it’s worth asking how long Disney’s ESPN can keep up this pace.

Under the new NBA media deal starting this season, ESPN will pay the league about $2.6 billion annually; roughly double what the company was paying for NBA rights before.

And while ESPN will no longer be paying for Formula 1 rights this season, the network has also bolstered its cable and streaming coverage with smaller rights packages like Major League Rugby. Plus, on the larger end, ESPN started its WWE deal in late 2025 – an agreement that runs the network a reported $325 million per year.

Beyond those totals, ESPN has reworked its MLB deal into a regional play that could wind up costing........

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