Sony, ESPN Go Beyond Sports With Expanded Animated Alt-Broadcast Plans
Tuesday, October 28, 2025 at 02:20PM By Barry Janoff
October 28, 2025: Sony and ESPN have unveiled programming plans that will make real use of artificial intelligence technology.
Sony Group’s Beyond Sports AI-driven company and Disney’s ESPN have expanded their alliance with an agreement “focused on the advancement of innovative fan engagement technologies.”
Under the agreement, Beyond Sports and ESPN will produce animated alternative telecasts for the NFL, NHL, NBA and WNBA during the 2025-26 season.
It will use intellectual property from The Walt Disney Company library, including Pixar, to “create deeply immersive, tech-driven broadcasts designed to attract new and younger fans through storytelling.”
The move builds off a collaboration that began in October 2023 when ESPN platforms aired an alternate version of a game between the Atlanta Falcons and Jacksonville Jaguars game in London.
Toy Story Funday Football (pictured below) which featured NFL players from both teams transformed into AI versions playing alongside Toy Story characters in Andy’s room, won several Sports Emmy Awards.
In 2024, Beyond Sports powered the NHL Big City Greens Classic 2 on March 9 and NFL The Simpsons Funday Football on Dec. 9.
On Dec. 25, Sony’s Beyond Sports collaborated with ESPN, Disney and the NBA for Dunk the Halls, the first real-time, animated alternate presentation of an NBA game, which was between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs.
The partnership will next come to life Dec 8 during the ESPN Monday Night Football game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Chargers with an alternate version debut of Monsters Funday Football telecast, integrating various Monsters, Inc. elements.
The alt-broadcast will air on ESPN2, Disney Channel, Disney XD, Disney+, ESPN App, and on mobile via NFL+.
Plans for the NHL, NBA and WNBA were not shared.
"Our mission has always been to innovate how fans experience sports, and this expanded partnership with ESPN is a testament to that," Sander Schouten, Beyond Sports managing director and co-founder, said via the company. “The incredible reaction to our past animated telecasts proved there's a huge appetite for content that blends sports and data with storytelling.
“We're excited to work with ESPN to bring these immersive, animated worlds to fans of four major leagues, creating fun, unforgettable and shareable moments."
Sony said the Dec. 8 alt-telecast is the “latest example of Sony's far-reaching efforts to help engage the next generation of NFL fans.
“As an ‘official technology Partner of the NFL’, Sony's deep integration throughout the league's games extends to Beyond Sports' real-time visualization platform and Hawk-Eye Innovations' officiating and tracking technology, new coach's sideline headset, sideline photography, broadcast cameras and production, and the development of on-field and sideline technologies.”
According to Beyond Sports and ESPN, the alt-broadcast will see Monstropolis favorites Mike Wazowski and James P. "Sulley" Sullivan joining the Eagles and Chargers, respectively, to face off on a reimagined Scare Floor, decked out with as a football field. The monsters will sub in for key plays to help guide their teams to victory.
ESPN commentators Drew Carter and Dan Orlovsky will appear as animated characters and call the action from within the virtual world.
They also said “franchise enthusiasts might spot cameos from Roz and the Child Detection Agency — in addition to plenty of other movie easter eggs!”
CBS Sports and Nickelodeon have been airing alternate NFL Sliimetime games featuring characters from SpongeBob SquarePants since 2020.
The Jan. 11, 2025 playoff game between the Los Angeles Chargers and the Houston Texans was their sixth family-friendly alt-broadcast collaboration on an NFL game and third NFL Wild Card game.
An alt-version of Super Bowl LVIII in February 2024 with the Kansas City Chiefs was Live from Bikini Bottom — a first for the NFL’s championship game — won a Sports Emmy recognizing the technical team for their work on the broadcast.
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