At first, only the World Championship Game was televised under the Wide World of Sports[13] anthology umbrella on
ABC. Since the late 1980s, when the tournament was reorganized, both the U.S. and international championships, the "semifinals," have been shown.
ESPN first began covering the games in 1982. With the expansion of ESPN's brand and its family of networks, the total number of games has significantly increased. In 2000, a total of 12 games were televised by ESPN. In addition, the popularity of the game increased the total number of teams from 8 to 16 and ESPN covered all eight
U.S. regional championships in 2001 (something they still do today). This was as a result of a second stadium,
Volunteer Stadium, which allowed games to take place simultaneously. Also that year, ABC began televising the U.S. Championship Game. That year, ESPN aired a total of 25 games. In 2003, ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2 carried a total of 35 games including regional championships.[14][15] All games aired on any ESPN network are also available via Internet streaming on
ESPN3.
1985 - ABC carries the Little League World Series championship game live for the first time on Wide World of Sports. For the first time in baseball history, the home plate umpire wears a miniature camera on his mask.
1994 - A three-hour rain delay forced Wide World of Sports to go off the air on many
ABC affiliates before the game could be completed. The
West Coast however, got to see the remainder of the game live from Williamsport, Pa.
1997 - For the first time, U.S. Regional championship games in Little League Baseball are televised nationally on
ESPN2.
2002 - Both the U.S. Championship and World Championship Games were televised live during
prime time for the first time (6:30
ET). The World Championship Game was aired on
tape delay on the
West Coast.
In
2006, 28 of the 36 games were televised on ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC.
2006 - The World Championship Game was initially supposed to air on ABC. However, a rain delay caused the game to be postponed until following day (Monday, August 28, 2006). As a result, the Championship Game instead, aired on ESPN2.
In January 2007, it was announced that ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC had extended their contract with the Little League organization through 2014.[20]