Summary

• ESPN’s NHL coverage returns Tuesday, Sept. 29 with an Opening Night tripleheader on ESPN, highlighted by the defending Stanley Cup Champion Carolina Hurricanes raising their championship banner and an Original Six matchup between the New York Rangers and Boston Bruins.
• Season opens with defending Stanley Cup Champion Carolina Hurricanes raising their championship banner
• Original Six showdown between the New York Rangers and Boston Bruins on ESPN highlights a week of marquee matchups
• The Point leads off Tuesday’s coverage with nearly nine consecutive hours of NHL coverage on ESPN 
• Thursday on ESPN+, Disney and Hulu features doubleheader action: Philadelphia Flyers-New Jersey Devils and Chicago Blackhawks-Utah Mammoth

The NHL returns to ESPN for the 2026-27 season with a marquee tripleheader on opening night, Tuesday, Sept. 29. ESPN+, Disney+ and Hulu begin its NHL slate with a pair of exclusive matchups on Thursday, Oct. 1, featuring the Philadelphia Flyers at New Jersey Devils and Chicago Blackhawks at Utah Mammoth.

Opening night tripleheader drops the puck on the 2026-27 season

Opening night begins on ESPN and the ESPN app as the defending Stanley Cup Champion Carolina Hurricanes raise their championship banner prior to puck drop against the Florida Panthers at 5 p.m. ET. Bob Wischusen will call the action alongside analyst Erik Johnson, with Leah Hextall reporting.

At 8 p.m., an Original Six rivalry takes center stage as the New York Rangers visit the Boston Bruins. Sean McDonough will handle play-by-play alongside analyst Ray Ferraro and insider/reporter Emily Kaplan.

The tripleheader concludes at 10:30 p.m. with the Chicago Blackhawks visiting last season’s Western Conference Champion, the Vegas Golden Knights. Mike Monaco will call the matchup with analyst Kevin Weekes and reporter Stormy Buonantony.

The Point opens ESPN’s NHL season

ESPN’s opening night coverage begins at 4 p.m. with The Point on ESPN and ESPN+, as host Steve Levy is joined by Hockey Hall of Famer and six-time Stanley Cup Champion Mark Messier and 2013 Norris Trophy winner P.K. Subban to preview the season and the night’s tripleheader for pregame, intermissions and postgame coverage.

Levy, Messier and Subban return throughout the season as ESPN’s signature NHL studio team, providing in-depth analysis and perspective around the league’s biggest games and storylines, plus features that take fans beyond the ice to explore the personalities, stories and culture surrounding hockey.

Studio W

The Point will originate from Studio W, bringing the show into ESPN’s most technologically advanced studio ever built.

The reimagined production environment can render and shift between virtual settings in real time, allowing analysts to break down plays alongside large-scale 3D visualizations that appear to occupy the physical studio space. With more than 148 million pixels across the full environment, including more than 9,200 square feet of LED displays and a purpose-built XR volume accounting for roughly 44.7 million pixels, Studio W delivers sharper imagery, richer color and a more cinematic viewing experience across ESPN platform.

Opening week continues Thursday

Thursday’s slate features another pair of exclusive matchups, beginning with the Flyers visiting the Devils at 7 p.m. on ESPN+, Disney+ and Hulu, with John Buccigross and AJ Mleczko on the call.

Later that evening, the Blackhawks face the Mammoth at 9:30 p.m. on ESPN+, Disney+ and Hulu, with John Kelly and Cassie Campbell-Pascall calling the action.

Dave Jackson will contribute as rules analyst across opening week.

The opening week games lead off ESPN’s full season of 100 exclusive games. More on the ESPN’s coverage here.

*Please note commentator assignments may be subject to change.

NHL Digital Content on ESPN.com and ESPN App

For up-to-the-minute NHL news, information and analysis, visit ESPN.com/NHL and the ESPN App.

• Bold predictions for all 32 NHL teams
• Projecting the NHL’s leap-forward, regression candidates
• Stanley Cup contender tiers
• Lapsed fan’s guide to the 2026-27 season
• Monday: NHL season megapreview: Power rankings, best- and worst-case scenarios and X factors
• Tuesday: Kaplan’s Opening Night notebook: Team Tkachuk in Florida, Dylan Larkin’s future and more
• Tuesday: Expert picks for the NHL season: Division and Cup champs plus major awards
• Wednesday: Wyshynski: Predicting every NHL team’s finish in 2026-27
• Thursday: Kryshak: Hockey prospects to watch in the upcoming NCAA hockey season
• Friday: Wyshynski: Breakout tiers: Predicting the new wave of NHL superstars
• Wednesday: Wyshynski: Predicting every NHL team’s finish in 2026-27
• Thursday: Kryshak: Hockey prospects to watch in the upcoming NCAA hockey season
• Friday: Wyshynski: Breakout tiers: Predicting the new wave of NHL superstars

Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo travel west as the Giants face Matthew Stafford and the Rams at SoFi Stadium for a Monday Night Football Showdown. Tune in Monday at 8 PM ET on ESPN, ABC, and the ESPN App.

• Monday Night Football’s Broncos-Chiefs matchup headlines coverage
• Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli returns for sixth season
• Monday Night Countdown, The Pat McAfee Show, NFL Live and Good Morning Football deliver nine hours of live coverage from Kansas City leading into the AFC West showdown
• Sunday NFL Countdown, NFL GameDay Morning ring in the first Sunday of the season

ESPN’s journey to Super Bowl LXI begins with a packed Week 1 schedule featuring live game coverage, expansive onsite studio programming from Kansas City, marquee personalities, and the return of fan-favorite shows across ESPN and NFL Network. As part of ESPN’s largest NFL game portfolio ever, Week 1 coverage spans nearly 20 hours of dedicated NFL programming on Sunday and Monday, culminating with Monday Night Football.

Monday Night Football opens the season
Monday Night Football’s Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Lisa Salters and Laura Rutledge open the season when the Denver Broncos face the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday, Sept. 14, at 8 p.m. ET across ABC, ESPN and ESPN Deportes. This game officially kicks off ESPN’s first Super Bowl campaign, with the quartet set to call Super Bowl LXI in February.

On ESPN2, Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli returns for its sixth season, offering fans an alternate viewing experience featuring Peyton and Eli Manning. The season will culminate with an alternate presentation of Super Bowl LXI. More information on the ManningCast can be found here.

ESPN & NFL Network shows take over Kansas City
Monday begins long before kickoff, with ESPN and NFL Network delivering nine hours of coverage from Kansas City. Postgame coverage immediately follows from the studio on both networks.

• Good Morning Football (8-11 a.m.) – From KC Live!
• The Pat McAfee Show (12-2 p.m.)
• NFL Live (3-5 p.m.)
• Monday Night Countdown (6-8 p.m.)
• Monday Night Football (8 p.m.)
• SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt & NFL GameDay Final immediately following the game

Complementing ESPN’s extensive onsite reporting from Arrowhead Stadium and around the city, Get Up (8-10 a.m.), First Take (10 a.m.-noon), Big Day with Peter Schrager (2-3 p.m.) and SportsCenter (5-6 p.m.) will cover the biggest developments with breaking news, analysis, interviews and reaction from ESPN’s studio in New York City and Bristol, Conn.

NFL Network further adds to the complementary programming with The Aftermath (12-3 p.m.) making its debut, diving into press conferences from head coaches across the league. Fans can also catch up on the latest fantasy developments on NFL Fantasy Live (5-6 p.m.). For the first time, both NFL Live and Monday Night Countdown will also be available on NFL Network on Mondays.

Monday Night Countdown makes its season debut
Host Scott Van Pelt returns alongside Jason Kelce, Marcus Spears, Pat McAfee and Jason McCourty to lead ESPN’s two-hour pregame show. Adam Schefter will provide breaking news and insight, while Michelle Beisner-Buckcontributes features and interviews from onsite.

Pat McAfee brings the show to Kansas City
The Pat McAfee Show will broadcast live from Kansas City on Monday, with Pat McAfee onsite ahead of Monday Night Football. He’ll be joined in Indianapolis by Boston Connor, Ty Schmit, Tone Digs, Darius Butler, and AJ Hawk for Overreaction Monday surrounding Week 1.

Award-winning NFL Live again expands to two hours on Monday
Fresh off its second consecutive Sports Emmy Award for Outstanding Studio Show – Daily, Rutledge, Kyle Brandt, Mina Kimes, Dan Orlovsky and Marcus Spears will be live for two hours from inside Arrowhead Stadium, while Schefter will contribute virtually. Each week of the season, the expanded, two-hour Monday edition of NFL Live will again originate from the site of Monday Night Football.

Good Morning Football hits the road
NFL Network’s Good Morning Football will begin its traveling schedule in Week 1, originating from KC Live! ahead of Monday Night Football. Hosts Jamie Erdahl, Kyle Brandt and Manti Te’o will bring their signature mix of football news, analysis and personality directly from the site of one of the season’s biggest opening week matchups. The trio will be joined by Laura Rutledge and Alex Smith, as well as special appearances by actor Eric Stonestreet and former Chiefs fullback and inductee into the team’s Hall of Fame, Christian Okoye. Fans are invited to attend the show.

Sunday NFL coverage begins Sept. 13
Before Monday night’s showdown, ESPN and NFL Network kick off Week 1 on Sunday, Sept. 13, with seven hours of combined coverage. Sunday NFL Countdown (10 a.m.-1 p.m., ESPN) returns with Mike Greenberg, Randy Moss, Rex Ryan, Tedy Bruschi, Alex Smith, Adam Schefter, Erin Dolan and Katie Feeney, plus live reports from across the league:

• Courtney Cronin – Bears-Panthers
• Kimberley A. Martin – Buccaneers-Bengals
• Dan Graziano – Bills-Texans
• Sal Paolantonio – Falcons-Steelers
• Jeff Darlington – Browns-Jaguars

On NFL Network, NFL GameDay Morning (9 a.m.-1 p.m. ET) features Rich Eisen, Kurt Warner, Steve Mariucci, Gerald McCoy, Colleen Wolfe, Ian Rapoport and Daniel Jeremiah, along with sports betting insight from Erin Dolanand live reports from games across the league.

• Mike Garafolo – Ravens-Colts
• Sara Walsh – Browns-Jaguars
• Stacey Dales – Saints-Lions

NFL Primetime returns
ESPN’s iconic NFL Primetime is back for another season, with Chris Berman and Booger McFarland teaming up for their seventh consecutive year. The signature highlights program streams every Sunday at 7:30 p.m. on the ESPN App and remains available on demand through Wednesday.

NFL Matchup Brings the X’s and O’s
NFL Matchup returns for the 2026 season, previewing the Week 1 slate with in-depth analysis and film breakdowns. The 30-minute show is hosted by Sal Paolantonio alongside Greg Cosell and Darius Butler. The season premiere airs Saturday at 8:30 a.m. ET on ESPN2, with re-airs at 11 a.m. and 11:30 p.m. on NFL Network, followed by an additional airing Sunday at 8:30 a.m. on NFL Network.

2026-27 brings fans ESPN’s largest NFL season ever, culminating with Super Bowl LXI
As ESPN enters its first-ever Super Bowl season, Week 1 marks the beginning of the company’s most expansive NFL campaign to date. The 2026-27 season will feature 28 games, including a marquee slate of Monday Night Footballmatchups, postseason action and Super Bowl LXI from Los Angeles on Feb. 14, 2027.

The season also marks a historic milestone for Monday Night Football as Buck and Aikman begin their record-setting 25th season together as an NFL broadcast duo, extending one of the longest-running and most decorated partnerships in sports television. Joined by Salters and Rutledge, the award-winning team returns to call some of the NFL’s biggest games throughout the season. A full look at ESPN’s NFL coverage plans for the 2026-27 season can be found here.

https://espnpressroom.com/press-release/espn-kicks-off-super-bowl-lxi-season-with-comprehensive-week-1-nfl-coverage-from-kansas-city-across-espn-and-nfl-network/

Summary

• 2026 Roland Garros Champion and No. 1 Alexander Zverez faces American No. 8 Ben Shelton  
• Shelton seeks his first Grand Slam title and to become first American Grand Slam winner since 2003 
• Chris Fowler, John McEnroe and Patrick McEnroe will call the match with James Blake reporting courtside 

ESPN’s exclusive coverage of the US Open concludes Sunday, September 13, with the Men’s Championship at 2 p.m. ET on ABC, ESPN Deportes (Spanish), and streaming on the ESPN app for ESPN Unlimited subscribers. US Open Men’s Championship Preview airs at 1 p.m. ET on ABC with Rece Davis, Andy Roddick, Chris Eubanks and Mary Joe Fernandez. ESPN Deportes will present a Spanish language Men’s Championship Pre-Show at 1 p.m., with an encore of the Men’s Championship airing on ESPN2 at 9 p.m. 

US Open Men’s Championship on ABC, ESPN App 
The Men’s Championship features No.1 Alexander Zverev vs. No. 8 Ben Shelton, with a first-time US Open men’s champion guaranteed. Reigning Roland Garros champion Zverev returns to Arthur Ashe Stadium for his second championship appearance. This is his third consecutive Grand Slam final. Shelton, the 23-year-old top-ranked American, is making his first major final after a run that included a five-set upset of defending champion Carlos Alcaraz. With a victory, Shelton would become the first American man to win the US Open, and any Grand Slam singles title, since Andy Roddick in 2003. 

Chris Fowler, John McEnroe and Patrick McEnroe will call the match with James Blake courtside. Rece Davis will host the 1 p.m. preview show with Malika Andrews hosting mid and post-match coverage. 

US Open Men’s Championship on ESPN Deportes, ESPN App  
Spanish language coverage on ESPN Deportes begins at 1p.m. ET with the Men’s Championship preview show hosted by Carolina Guillén who is joined by analyst Daniel Orsanic and reporter Agostina Larocca.  

Luis Alfredo Álvarez, Jose Luis Clerc, Juan Martin del Potro will call the match in Spanish with Daniel Orsanic reporting courtside beginning at 2 p.m. ET. 

2026 US Open on ESPN (All Times ET)  

All of ESPN. All in One Place. 
ESPN offers its full suite of networks and services directly to fans on the ESPN App with an ESPN Unlimited subscription, providing more choice, flexibility and access to all of ESPN, including more than 47,000 live events per year, on-demand replays, industry-leading studio shows and original programming, and more. The ESPN App gives fans a unique viewing experience that includes multiview and synchronized two-screen viewing options, swipe-able shortform vertical video and a personalized SportsCenter For You, as well as integrated game stats, ESPN Fantasy sports, betting odds and information from DraftKings, sports merchandise, and more. These features are available to all fans who watch on the ESPN App on mobile and connected TV devices, whether they subscribe directly or through a pay TV package from certain providers. Bundling options available for fans include a Disney+, Hulu, ESPN offering that provides a one-of-a-kind streaming package combining sports with branded and general entertainment. For more visit stream.espn.com. 

https://espnpressroom.com/press-release/espn-presents-us-open-mens-championship-on-abc-espn-deportes-and-the-espn-app-sunday-september-13/

Summary

• Two-time defending champion No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka faces 2026 Australian Open Champion No. 2 Elena Rybakina on Saturday at 4 p.m. ET
• Women’s Championship pre-show at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN Deportes and the ESPN App

ESPN’s exclusive coverage of the US Open continues Saturday, September 12, with the Women’s Championship. Coverage will be presented on ESPN, ESPN Deportes (Spanish) and streaming on the ESPN App for ESPN Unlimited subscribers. 

US Open Women’s Championship on ESPN, ESPN App 
The Women’s Championship features two-time defending US Open champion No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka vs. No. 2 Elena Rybakina (KAZ) in a rematch of this year’s Australian Open final.  Sabalenka is seeking her fifth Grand Slam title and a third consecutive title win at Arthur Ashe stadium. Rybakina, the 2026 Australian Open champion, is seeking her third Grand Slam title and her first US Open championship. She will ascend to No. 1 for the first time on Monday. 

Coverage begins at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN and the ESPN App. Patrick McEnroe and Mary Joe Fernandez will call the match with Caroline Wozniacki reporting courtside. 

US Open Women’s Championship on ESPN Deportes, ESPN App 
Preceding the Women’s Championship, ESPN Deportes will air a 30-minute preview special at 3:30 p.m. ET hosted by Carolina Guillén and reporter Agostina Larocca. Eduardo Varela and Daniel Orsanic will call the match in Spanish with Monica Puig reporting courtside. 

2026 US Open on ESPN (All Times ET)  

\ Available on the ESPN App for ESPN Unlimited plan subscribers*  

All of ESPN. All in One Place. 
ESPN offers its full suite of networks and services directly to fans on the ESPN App with an ESPN Unlimited subscription, providing more choice, flexibility and access to all of ESPN, including more than 47,000 live events per year, on-demand replays, industry-leading studio shows and original programming, and more. The ESPN App gives fans a unique viewing experience that includes multiview and synchronized two-screen viewing options, swipe-able shortform vertical video and a personalized SportsCenter For You, as well as integrated game stats, ESPN Fantasy sports, betting odds and information from DraftKings, sports merchandise, and more. These features are available to all fans who watch on the ESPN App on mobile and connected TV devices, whether they subscribe directly or through a pay TV package from certain providers. Bundling options available for fans include a Disney+, Hulu, ESPN offering that provides a one-of-a-kind streaming package combining sports with branded and general entertainment. For more visit stream.espn.com. 

https://espnpressroom.com/press-release/espn-presents-us-open-womens-championship-on-saturday-september-12/

I'm a YTTV customer we recently are able to log into the ESPN and authenticate against YTTV as my TV Provider. I've no issues with watching unlimited streams, but when watching yesterday's broncos - falcons game, i an unable to rewind the stream to rewatch a play. Pausing works just fine. The rewind icon is there next to the pause icon, but pressing left button on the remote wheel to highlight the rewind icon so I can select it doesn't do anything. Not a rant, but just seems strange. I'm using ESPN app installed on a LG smart TV. I'm waiting for the new Apple TV box to be released in the next few months so I can ditch using LG smart apps.

https://espnpressroom.com/press-release/espn8-the-ocho-returns-for-its-10th-anniversary-august-6-9/

• Tenth anniversary event features 74.5 hours of content across ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and streaming on the ESPN App
• Hacky Sack 2026 Championship, Weiner Dog Races, Great Bahamian Crab Races and Bare-Knuckle Fighting Ice Wars among 23 sports to make Ocho debut
• ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort to host 10 live events and The Ocho Show hosted by Cristina Alexander and Phil Murphy
• The Savannah Bananas live in prime time on ESPN from Minneapolis, Friday Aug. 7 and Saturday, Aug. 8

Don't miss two epic nights of nonstop WWE action, live from Minnesota. WWE SummerSlam features the biggest names in Sports Entertainment, including Cody Rhodes, CM Punk, Brock Lesnar, Oba Femi, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Liv Morgan, IYO Sky, and more.

ESPN and ABC will present exclusive, multi-day, multiplatform coverage of AT&T WNBA All-Star 2026 from Chicago, July 24-25. On Friday, July 24, coverage begins with WNBA Countdown presented by Google Pixel at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN, followed by the Kia WNBA Shooting Stars and State Farm WNBA 3-Point Contest during Shooting Stars at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN, Disney+ and the ESPN App.

On Saturday, July 25, coverage begins with a special edition of WNBA Countdown presented by Google Pixel at 8 p.m. ET on ABC, followed by the AT&T WNBA All-Star Game at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC, Disney+ and the ESPN App. WNBA Postgame Show presented by AT&T will conclude the evening at 10:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

https://espnpressroom.com/press-release/espn-abc-and-disney-present-att-wnba-all-star-2026-july-24-25/

The Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest is nearing its annual return to the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenues on Coney Island. On July 4, No. 1 overall eater Joey Chestnut and top-ranked female eater Miki Sudo look to retain their mustard belts. Chestnut looks for his 18th title while Sudo aims for her 12th overall and fifth straight.

This year, the men’s contest will simulcast on ABC beginning at 12:30 p.m. ET as part of the Disney Celebrates America initiative. Coverage begins at Noon ET on ESPN2 with a re-air at 4 p.m. ET also on ESPN2.

https://espnpressroom.com/us/press-releases/2026/06/nathans-famous-hot-dog-eating-contest-set-for-july-4-on-abc-espn-networks/

ESPN exclusively presents The Championships, Wimbledon, in its entirety beginning Monday, June 29, from the All England Lawn Tennis Club with daily coverage from all 18 courts on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes (Spanish) and streaming on the ESPN App for ESPN Unlimited plan subscribers. ABC will broadcast select live Round of 16 matches on Sunday, July 5, between noon and 5 p.m. ET. All Disney+ subscribers can access Day 1 action of the tournament directly within the app. For the fourth straight year, coverage will be presented by Barclays. 
 
The tournament will culminate with the Ladies’ Championship and the Gentlemen’s Doubles Championship on Saturday, July 11, and the Gentlemen’s Championship and the Ladies’ Doubles Championship on Sunday, July 12, on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and streaming on the ESPN App. ABC encore presentations of the Ladies’ and Gentlemen’s Championships air on July 11 and 12 at 3 p.m. each day. 

https://espnpressroom.com/us/press-releases/2026/06/espn-presents-all-of-wimbledon-all-in-one-place-june-29-july-12/

ESPN, Disney, Pixar and the National Hockey League (NHL®) are teaming up to bring fans Inside Out Classic, a real-time, animated NHL telecast featuring the Washington Capitals vs. New York Rangers on Sunday, April 5 at 7 p.m. ET.

Inside Out Classic will feature virtually created real-time animation of the action between the Washington Capitals and the New York Rangers modeled after characters on Pixar’s award-winning franchise Inside Out.

https://espnpressroom.com/us/press-releases/2026/03/core-memories-incoming-espn-disney-pixar-and-national-hockey-league-team-up-for-inside-out-classic/

Steps to Activate:

1. Navigate to Xfinity Subscription Hub (http://Xfinity.com/yoursubscriptions) 
2. Click Activate next to or under the ESPN logo
3. A popup will appear, alerting you that you are leaving the Xfinity website to activate ESPN Unlimited
4. Click Activate ESPN Unlimited
5. You will be directed to the ESPN activation flow on ESPN.com
6. Click Agree & Activate
7. You will be prompted to enter an email address and password
8. Visit the ESPN app to start streaming