Disney Advertising & United Airlines Take ESPN Fantasy Football to New Heights: This Year's Televised Draft Event Includes Live Picks from 35,000 Feet on Flight Powered by Starlink Wi-Fi

ESPN host and fantasy expert Tyler Fulghum to take part in live draft on board a United flight while Field Yates, Mike Clay, Liz Loza and others draft from ESPN's broadcast studio in Bristol, Connecticut

2026 ESPN Fantasy Football Draft is scheduled for August 25 from 9 to 11 p.m. ET on ESPN and co-streamed to the NFL on ESPN YouTube

Live broadcast showcases the superior performance of the world's fastest, most reliable inflight Wi-Fi

CHICAGO, Aug. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Disney Advertising and United Airlines will take ESPN Fantasy Football to new heights as a member of this year's annual ESPN Fantasy Football Draft makes his picks from 35,000 feet on board a United flight powered by Starlink, the world's fastest, most reliable inflight Wi-Fi.

ESPN host and fantasy expert Tyler Fulghum will be on board a United flight while NFL Insider Field Yates, Writer/Analyst Mike Clay, Fantasy/Betting Writer Liz Loza and others draft alongside him from ESPN's broadcast studio in Bristol, Connecticut.

The 2026 ESPN Fantasy Football Draft is scheduled for August 25 from 9 to 11 p.m. ET on ESPN and co-streamed to the NFL on ESPN YouTube.

Fans who tune in to this first-of-its-kind experience also get behind-the-scenes content from ESPN's social correspondent, Omar Raja, who will capture and share the action before, during and after the flight across social channels.

"Sports fans don't want to miss the moments they care about – especially when they're traveling. Fantasy Football draft day is a can't-miss event for millions of fans, and until now, being in the air could mean handing over your picks to auto-draft. Starlink Wi-Fi on United flights is changing that," said Maggie Schmerin, United's Chief Advertising Officer. "This live draft with ESPN shows how Starlink on United is opening up a new era of possibilities on board, where moments that matter don't stop when you take off."

In addition to participating in the live broadcast, Tyler will film a new broadcast commercial on board, showcasing how fans can stay connected to the moments that matter most – even at 35,000 feet. Produced by Disney Advertising, ESPN and United, the spot will air as part of ESPN's broadcast coverage of the 2026 ESPN Fantasy Football Marathon.

In 2024, United set a new standard of inflight connectivity by signing at the time the industry's largest agreement of its kind with SpaceX to bring Starlink's fast, reliable Wi-Fi service to the airline's mainline and regional aircraft fleet, for free for MileagePlus® members. Today, Starlink is active on more than 500 United mainline and United Express® aircraft.

For more information, visit united.com.

About United

At United, Good Leads The Way. With U.S. hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., United operates the most comprehensive global route network among North American carriers and is now the largest airline in the world as measured by available seat miles. For more about how to join the United team, please visit www.united.com/careers and more information about the company is at www.united.com. United Airlines Holdings, Inc., the parent company of United Airlines, Inc., is traded on the Nasdaq under the symbol "UAL".

SOURCE United Airlines