The reality is that there is not another media property in the world worth as much as ESPN because no media asset delivering content generates close to as much money. Wunderlich pegs the value of the Disney Channel, which is one of the most valuable channels and has the third highest affiliate fees, at $10 billion. It is even uglier in print. The current market value of the New York Times is $1.3 billion. The only media companies in the world worth more than $40 billion are News Corp. ($58 billion) and Comcast ($96 billion). The value of News Corp. is spread out among dozens of media assets, while Comcast derives most of its value from being a cable provider.

Disney owns 80% of ESPN; Hearst owns the other 20%.

Disney is now worth $80 billion. Its ESPN stake is 40% of that.

 Comcast is a media company? 

ESPN has nailed their model: they talk about sports. On TV. On twitter. On Facebook. On their website. 

That's it.

It's a calm in the storm. The nation could be falling apart-- or just talking non stop about Sandy or scandals or politics -- and ESPN just keeps on talking about sports. 

I think the reason they're successful is obvious: 

a) People are passionate about sports, but do not hate each other about each other's sports' positions.

b) seamless and fluid experience from mobile to tablet to web to social media to TV. 

Are the other media companies watching closely?

6 media companies control 90% of media:

http://pandawhale.com/post/2784/6-media-giants-control-90-of-what-we-read-watch-or-listen-to