Disney has called its next streaming blitz: In a few weeks, Disney+ will add an ESPN “tile” to the streaming service — and the company will include some live sports and other ESPN shows even if you’re not an ESPN+ subscriber.
Disney+ will introduce the ESPN tile for U.S. subscribers on Dec. 4. That will provide customers who buy Disney’s three streaming products — Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ — “full access to all of the ESPN+ sports content they love while inside Disney+, similar to the experience we offer bundle subscribers with Hulu on Disney+,” Disney CEO Bob Iger and CFO Hugh Johnston said in commentary provided with the September quarterly results.
To whet the appetite of Disney+ users for sports, “We will also make select ESPN content available to all Disney+ subscribers, including certain live sports events and games, as well as studio shows, series and documentaries,” the execs said.
The integrated ESPN-on-Disney+ experience “moves us one step closer to bringing a full sports offering to Disney+ in the U.S.,” they said.
Disney is expecting to launch its stand-alone ESPN “Flagship” streaming service in early fall 2025. Customers who subscribe to ESPN Flagship and Disney+ will have access to the full suite of ESPN and ESPN+ content within Disney+, according to the execs.
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The company has not announced expected pricing for ESPN Flagship. ESPN+, which carries thousands of sporting events but not the full linear TV lineup across ESPN nets, costs $11.99 per month or $119.99 per year, after a price hike effective Oct. 17.
Disney promises that ESPN Flagship will give subscribers access to “an enhanced array of innovative digital features, creating a sports destination unlike anything available in the marketplace today. These expanded content offerings should generate higher engagement, resulting in lower churn, as well as even greater advertising potential,” per Iger and Johnston’s commentary.
According to the Disney execs, consumers “are increasingly relying on ESPN as a digital destination for sports news and content.”
“Our digital strategy is working — our research shows that younger audiences think of ESPN as a digital-first brand, where our relevancy is fueled by social, the ESPN App, and streaming,” Iger and Johnston said in the commentary. “The possibilities enabled by digital technology are a sports fan’s dream, and as we approach the launch of ESPN’s flagship DTC offering in early fall 2025, the team is hard at work in creating innovative digital features for the ESPN App such as fantasy sports integrations, enhanced statistics, betting features, and e-commerce to accompany ESPN’s full package of sports programming.”
The ESPN Flagship experience also is set to featured an AI-customized version of ESPN’s “SportsCenter” highlights show for users. That will serve content based on a user’s favorites sports or teams, Iger said at an investment conference in May. When you launch the ESPN App to watch “SportsCenter,” Iger said, “it should know I’m a Knicks fan. We are actually working on that.”
