Everything sports fans need to know about ESPN's new streaming service
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Sports fans, start your internet connections.
At a press conference in New York on May 13, ESPN executives detailed plans for the Disney-owned sports network's new streaming service, which will give subscribers access to all of ESPN's content on streaming for a monthly fee, without needing that pesky cable subscription.
The new standalone service and app, simply dubbed "ESPN," will cost $29.99 a month for its unlimited tier, although it can also be acquired bundled with Disney+ and Hulu for $35.99 monthly with ads on Disney+ and Hulu (discounted to $29.99 for the first 12 months). For no ads on those two streamers, the plan costs $44.99 per month (ads will be included on any tier of the ESPN. app).
That unlimited plan plan includes access to live content from all ESPN networks, ESPN content on ABC, and more, which all adds up to 47,000 live events each year. Select plans also include all content from ESPN+, the company's current streaming service that mostly includes bonus content separate from the cable channel.
The streaming app "will redefine our business. Our mission is very clear: Serve the sports fan anytime, anywhere," Jimmy Pitaro, chairman of ESPN, told reporters. The simple name, Pitaro said, is because "there's power in our name; there's trust in our name. Simple, straightforward, clear."
Some of the sports content that streaming subscribers will get access to includes, and is definitely not limited to: NFL; NBA; NHL; MLB; WNBA; UFC; UFL; SEC; ACC; Big 12; College Football Playoffs; Wimbledon and US Open tennis; The Masters, PGA Championship and the PGA tour. The network's signature commentary and news shows will also be included, including: "SportsCenter," "Get Up," "First Take," "NFL Live," "The Pat McAfee Show" and more.
The new, redesigned app will have "enhanced stats, betting, short-form video, personalized SportsCenter, all designed to meet fans where they are, on their terms," he added. It will be an "attractive fan-friendly plan for standalone ESPN" or bundled with Disney+ and Hulu. For those subscribers who already get their Hulu on their Disney+ app, ESPN will be available in the same interface. The company is in discussions with other streamers to try to create more bundling opportunities for subscribers.
In addition to the "unlimited" tier, ESPN is offering the "select plan," which is essentially the same as ESPN+ but doesn't replace it. That plan will cost $11.99 or $119.99 a year. When bundled with Hulu and Disney+ it costs $16.99 a month with ads or $26.99 without them.
Existing ESPN+ subscribers will automatically become subscribers to ESPN's new service, based on their current subscription level: Standalone ESPN+ subscribers will get the ESPN select plan, and Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+ bundle subscribers get the ESPN select bundle.
In addition to the NFL, NBA and other professional sports games fans can expect commentator Rich Eisen, who rose to fame on ESPN but lately has been at the NFL Network, is returning home with "The Rich Eisen Show" on the streaming service and ESPN+ this fall.
No launch date was announced at the presentation, but Pitaro promised that would be announced in the coming weeks. It is likely to be in advance of NFL and college football seasons beginning this fall, as will happen with Fox's new streamer, Fox One, announced May 12, which will have competing sports programming.
The new streamer is aimed at getting cable cutters to add ESPN to their existing portfolio of subscriptions. But sports fans who are hanging on to their cable subscriptions need not worry: ESPN will remain available on cable/OTT services.
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