A cleaner broadcast experience
In a move aimed at cleaning up the viewing experience, ESPN said it will retire the BottomLine ticker that has accompanied its college‑football telecasts for years. The change will take effect across ESPN2, ABC, the SEC Network, ACC Network, ESPNU and ESPNews beginning in 2026.
All twelve of Alabama’s regular‑season contests will be carried on ESPN’s platforms, with the exception of games matching the Oklahoma Sooners, Missouri Tigers or Mississippi State Bulldogs. The first three Crimson Tide matchups are slated to air on ABC, and a handful of marquee games, including the SEC opener against Kentucky, will also be streamed on Disney+.
The shift follows ESPN’s emergence as the SEC’s exclusive media rights holder in 2024, ending a nearly three‑decade partnership with CBS. The last Alabama game broadcast on a non‑Disney channel occurred in week three of the 2024 season against Wisconsin on Fox.
While the on‑screen ticker will be gone, score alerts and schedule‑change bugs will still appear, with updates shown in the top‑right corner of the screen. These measures are intended to keep fans informed without adding visual noise.
Network executives said the redesign reflects a broader effort to let the game itself take center stage. By trimming redundant graphics and concentrating distribution, ESPN hopes to deliver a more immersive experience for viewers who want to focus on the action on the field.