Just in time for the NFL and college football seasons, ESPN will launch its flagship streaming service and app Aug. 21. The service, which will simply be called ESPN, will cost $30 as a standalone service or $36 a month if bundled with Disney+ and Hulu.
The NFL season kicks off on Sept. 4, and the first set of college games are scheduled for Aug. 23. Subscribers will receive access to all of ESPN’s live games for all sports and programming from ESPN on ABC, ESPN2 and the SEC Network.
On Wednesday, Disney-owned ESPN announced it will be acquiring the NFL Network, which includes the popular RedZone Channel and NFL Fantasy. Per the deal, ESPN will air three additional NFL games a season on NFL Network. ESPN also struck a deal with World Wrestling Entertainment for the US rights to show WrestleMania, the Royal Rumble and SummerSlam, starting in 2026.
Disney CEO Bob Iger said ESPN’s “full suite of networks and services” will be available on the streaming service. “The enhanced ESPN app will be a sports fan’s dream with key new features planned for launch, such as multiview, enhanced personalization, integration of stats, betting, fantasy sports and commerce and a personalized Sports Center,” he said.
Paolo Pescatore, founder and TMT analyst at PP Foresight, said ESPN’s streaming service launch announcement was an overall positive one. “It is essential to empower fans with a slew of choices of how they watch and engage with content,” he said. “This remains key. In the US, it is apparent that fans prefer the larger screen experience, given the push towards bigger TVs. Even so, increasingly this will be delivered via IP, either via cable, fibre, 5G or even still satellite.”
The service was originally slated to launch this fall, but Disney brought the date up, possibly to keep up with the competition. Fox Sports’ streaming service, called Fox One, will also begin Aug. 21. ESPN and Fox One will join an ever-expanding menu of sports streaming services available for all fans’ tastes.
Mike Proulx, vice president and research director at Forrester, said ESPN’s streaming service launch will provide Disney a “notable lift in revenue” after being a tad below expectations. “Disney is racing full force to sign sports rights with the company’s NFL and WWE announcements,” he said. “This is yet another signal that the latest battle in the streaming war is all about live sports programming.”
