ESPN Wants to Pick Up Your Wireless Tab

By Doug Ehrman – May 15, 2013 at 5:27PM

NYSE: DIS

Walt Disney

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$207B

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(0.16%) $0.18

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The iconic sports station is apparently in discussions to subsidize the way people watch sports on their smartphones.

Attention, sports fans: In an attempt to make it easier than ever to receive unlimited streaming sports on your smartphone, Disney's (DIS 0.16%) ESPN has begun talks with either AT&T (T 1.10%) or Verizon (VZ 0.90%) to pick up the tab for any bandwidth overage you might create using the ESPN app to watch sports. The potential impact on mobile advertising has the potential to impact tech leaders including Google and Facebook, which are racing to monetize the eyeballs available on the small screen.

In the video below, Fool.com contributor Doug Ehrman discusses the potential subsidy, why it matters, and how it could change the way companies advertise online.

Fool contributor Doug Ehrman has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Facebook, Google, and Walt Disney. The Motley Fool owns shares of Facebook, Google, and Walt Disney. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.