Disney+ Soon Will Feature Live Sports from ESPN

Are you a sports fan who subscribes to Disney+?

Good news! You may soon be able to receive live sports from ESPN as a part of the video streaming subscription.

Disney CEO Bob Iger recently announced that some live sports and studio shows from ESPN will start appearing on Disney+ this year.

But, depending on your level of fandom, it may not completely eliminate a cord cutter’s need for a live TV streaming service to watch all of the games ESPN has to offer.

Chin up, though. Another Disney-backed service is in the works and could be a remedy available in the not-so-distant future.

Confused? We understand. There are a lot of moving parts for streaming TV customers who are also sports fans. Let’s take a look at what a recent announcement from Disney could mean for 2024 and beyond.

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Disney CEO Says ESPN Content Is Destine for Disney+

During a May 2024 earnings call with investors, Disney CEO Bob Iger shared some details on the entertainment company’s streaming plans for later in 2024.

“By the end of this calendar year, we will be adding an ESPN tile to Disney+, giving all US subscribers access to select live games and studio programming within the Disney+ app,” Iger said, according to Yahoo. “We see this as a first step to bringing ESPN to Disney+ viewers, as we ready the launch of our enhanced standalone ESPN streaming service in the fall of 2025.”

Iger did clarify that this was not the full ESPN channel. Nor is it access to ESPN+, which is one of the three services offered in The Disney Bundle. That service will remain a standalone service, though it could be further integrated into the Disney+ app as a part of this overhaul.

So, if this isn’t the ESPN channel and it isn’t ESPN+, what can we expect to see on this ESPN tile?

Unfortunately, we’re left guessing at this point. Iger did not specify which live games from ESPN that Disney+ customers would receive.

There is a wide range of possibilities, though. ESPN owns broadcasting rights for many of the top sporting events in America, including the NFL’s Monday Night Football, the College Football Playoff, and major college athletics from the SEC, ACC and more.

If you’re a Disney+ customer, you likely are aware of the changing “tile” landscape on the platform. You still have the original 5 tiles:

• Disney
• Pixar
• Marvel
• Star Wars
• National Geographic

And earlier in 2024, the tile menu was expanded to include Hulu. ESPN presumably will be the seventh tile by the end of the year.

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New Sports-Only Streaming Services with ESPN and Partners Is On the Way

While the Disney+ news is great, the real “main event” for sports fans anticipating a change in streaming live games is still yet to come.

There are two projects in the works that are worth monitoring.

First, it was previously announced that ESPN is working with FOX and Warner Bros. Discovery on a sports-centric streaming service that will leverage their combined sports broadcasting rights to offer access to NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB and college sports content from the following channels:

• ESPN
• ESPN2
• ESPNU
• SEC Network
• ACC Network
• ESPNEWS
• ABC
• FOX
• FS1
• FS2
• Big Ten Network
• TNT
• TBS
• truTV

This streaming service does not have a name yet and pricing is not yet available. It is projected to be available by fall 2024 and reports indicate that customers of streaming services like Disney+ and Max may be eligible for discounted pricing.

In addition that ambitious project, ESPN is also planning to make its family of channels (and all the live games that come along with them) available on a standalone streaming TV service by fall 2025.

This service also does not yet have a name, and we don’t know how much ESPN is expected to charge for it.

It does seem reasonable to anticipate that The Disney Bundle customers could receive a chance to add that service to their bundle at a discounted price.

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Are you excited about the changing landscape for live sports on streaming TV? We’d love to hear your opinion in the Clark.com community!