It's clear to the four major U.S. professional sports leagues that Disney 's ESPN is potentially interested in them taking an equity stake in the network. Talks have had few specifics, said the people, but may heat up as ESPN attempts to reach a rights renewal deal with the NBA. Sources say Disney is targeting 2025 as a potential launch date for an unbundled-from-cable ESPN streaming service. Disney has informed the leagues that it's also holding separate talks with strategic investors who can provide distribution benefits, according to people familiar with the matter. "We're looking for partners that are going to help ESPN successfully transition to a [direct-to-consumer] model," Iger said Wednesday.

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Persons: Nikola Jokic, ESPN's Lisa Salters, Disney, Bob Iger, it's, Iger, I've Organizations: Denver Nuggets, Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers, Crypto.com Arena, Disney, ESPN, National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball, NBA, Comcast, Penn Entertainment, Football, MLB Locations: Los Angeles, Hulu