Sports fans have been clamoring for an ESPN direct-to-consumer streaming service for more than a decade, and they’re finally getting their wish. Parent company Disney confirmed during this week’s earnings call that ESPN’s new service will launch August 21.
The move comes amid an increasingly competitive streaming landscape that has seen various iterations of cable networks launch dedicated streaming services while also becoming available via third-party apps and streaming bundles.
As one of the most popular and lucrative cable networks (it continues to charge a high per-subscriber premium to cable carriers who make ESPN a cornerstone of their offerings), ESPN believes it has a high-demand product that tens of millions could sign up for, executives said earlier this year before launch details were finalized.
At the same time, a new deal between ESPN and the National Football League (NFL) will give the sports behemoth a substantial share of control of some of the league’s biggest media assets. This is a crucial time for ESPN as it has become the flagship network for Disney.
ESPN Streaming Launch Date
The new streaming service, which is also being called ESPN (this could get confusing fast), will launch on August 21, according to details shared on the earnings call.
ESPN Streaming App Offerings
Within the suite of programming on the new ESPN streaming app will be other network properties, such as ESPN2 and the SEC Network. ABC on ESPN programming will also be accessible via the new service.
ESPN Streaming Cost
The new streaming ESPN will cost $29.99 per month or $35.99 per month when bundled with Hulu, which is also owned by Disney. To put that in perspective, basic plans for most other services are less.
Netflix plans range up to $24.99 per month, on the higher end, while the most expensive (ad-free) version of Hulu is $17.99 per month. Lower-priced options like Peacock and Paramount+ are available for as low as $7.99 per month if you are OK with ads.
But ESPN has the premium content to back up that high price. For sports fans, it’s worth paying for access to, say, Monday Night Football and the college football playoffs, which you can’t get anywhere else. That’s why sports fans have been salivating for an ESPN app for so long—right now, they can only watch with a cable subscription that’s more expensive and includes other channels they may not watch.
To ensure that ESPN remains a premium property, the network also made some other long-term deals that will keep its crown shiny.
ESPN-NFL Deal Details
In exchange for a 10% stake in the network, the NFL struck a deal with Disney that gives it oversight of NFL Network and RedZone, an NFL channel that airs in-season to deliver “red zone” plays (within probable scoring distance) for every game.
Neither conglomerate has confirmed the value of the NFL’s new stake, though ESPN’s estimated value is up to $30 billion, per media analysts. The deal will need to be approved by regulators before it is finalized.
ESPN NFL Network Plans
NFL Network will become one of ESPN’s channels, joining the aforementioned ESPN2, ESPNU and more. The 24/7 channel includes programming devoted to the league in the offseason as well as games that the league will need to license back to ESPN.
ESPN RedZone Plans
ESPN will take over distribution of RedZone to pay TV operators. The channel has a limited but extremely loyal and engaged reach of NFL fans, programming only on Sunday afternoons during the season, when multiple NFL games take place.
The network is not without controversy—networks carrying those games have voiced objections to it since it could eat into their audiences for those games.