https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Morning-Buzz/2021/11/04/ESPN-Classic.aspx

Disney has started telling cable and satellite distributors that it plans to shut down ESPN Classic, which offers footage of old games, on Jan. 1, 2022, reports Sports Business Journal. ESPN Classic launched in 1995 (https://awfulannouncing.com/espn/espn-classic-will-go-dark-at-the-end-of-the-year.html) as Classic Sports Network. In 1997, it was acquired by ESPN and rebranded as ESPN Classic. As Awful Announcing points out, many of the old games shown on ESPN Classic are now easily accessible online.

ESPN Classic had a stellar 25+ year run on the air but I hate to see it leave

ESPN Classic had a stellar 25+ year run on the air but I hate to see it leave

I had a feeling that the end was coming when DirecTV dropped it (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ESPN_Classic#Carriage) near (https://www.satelliteguys.us/xen/threads/espn-classic-to-close.384909/) the end of 2019. I guess the general feeling is that ESPN Classic has outlived its usefulness (https://www.reddit.com/r/CFB/comments/qmlow7/disney_shutting_down_espn_classic_on_jan_1/) with the existence (https://deadspin.com/the-internet-finally-killed-espn-classic-1847998642) of not only YouTube (where you can see the games in their entirety; ESPN Classic often showed old broadcasts in an edited-to-two-hours timeslot) but also league owned channels like MLB Network, NBA TV, NHL Network, and NFL Network rebroadcasting the games themselves, without a middle man. Plus, I don't think that ESPN Classic never broadcast in high-definition.

NBCSN, ESPN Classic and Fusion TV were all shut down on New Year's Day (https://www.nexttv.com/news/new-year-ushers-end-to-several-cable-networks)

NBC Sports marked the new year by pulling the plug on NBCSN, which launched as Outdoor Life Network in 1995 and later renamed Versus in 2006. ESPN Classic, which also debuted in 1995, was also shuttered at the beginning of the new year. Univision also ceased operations for its English-language cable news and lifestyle network Fusion TV in time for 2022.