ESPN Classic was launched on May 6, 1995, as the Classic Sports Network. In 1997, ESPN, Inc. purchased the network for $175 million, and relaunched it as ESPN Classic the following year. In 2014, ESPN began to phase out ESPN Classic as a linear service, transitioning it to a branded video on-demand offering. In 2021, media reports indicated that the channel would close at the end of the year, and it did so in the late hours of December 31, 2021.