ESPN Launches New Streaming Service for $29.99 Monthly

BENGALURU, India – Walt Disney announced on Tuesday that its new streaming service, named ESPN, will launch this fall at a subscription cost of $29.99 per month. The service aims to attract sports fans who have never subscribed to traditional television.

ESPN will provide access to ESPN networks featuring professional and college football and basketball games. ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro stated, “We are providing everything ESPN has to offer directly to fans and all in one place.”

This announcement follows Fox Corp‘s declaration about its new subscription-based streaming service, set to launch before the upcoming American football season. The race among media companies, including Paramount Global and Comcast, to capture sports content is intensifying in a competitive market.

Disney will offer a bundling option for subscribers to combine ESPN with Disney+ and Hulu for $35.99 per month, with a promotional rate of $29.99 per month for the first year.

According to Paul Verna, a vice president of content at Emarketer, the new ESPN service represents a value opportunity for viewers currently paying around $100 for cable packages. However, Verna cautioned that it may not provide all the content true sports fans expect.

In a significant deal made in 2024, Disney’s ESPN, Comcast’s NBCUniversal, and Amazon secured the broadcast rights to National Basketball Association games in an 11-year agreement valued at $77 billion, highlighting the importance of live sports for attracting new subscribers.

This year, Disney, Fox, and Warner Bros Discovery ended their live sports joint venture called Venu Sports due to legal opposition. It was intended to attract sports enthusiasts who either canceled or didn’t subscribe to cable.

Pitaro emphasized that ESPN’s new application will include a full suite of live games, programming from other ESPN networks, and new features that present data and betting options. Current ESPN+ subscribers will automatically upgrade to the new all-access service, but ESPN+ will remain available as a lower-tier option.

The revamped ESPN mobile app will serve as a gateway to the new service, which aims to simplify access to sports content. Users who currently subscribe through cable will get personalized features unavailable to those on traditional packages.

As the launch approaches, additional details will be announced, promising an extensive offering for sports fans.