ESPN's streaming service is coming to Disney+ in 2025. Here's what we know
If you feel forced to keep your cable bundle just to watch sports, you might get some relief next year. Disney CEO Bob Iger has confirmed that ESPN's highly anticipated standalone streaming service, which will include all of the sports giant's linear channels and more, is set to hit Disney+ in 2025.
The company says the integration will work similarly to how Disney+ now includes Hulu content. Live events from the NFL, the NBA, MLB, NHL, and college sports will be a part of the package, as will studio shows, the 30 for 30 documentary series, and what Disney calls an "immersive, customizable sports experience" that will include fantasy and gambling content.
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In short, this will be a much bigger offering than what's currently available on ESPN+. Disney hopes to provide everything you get through a traditional cable package, and more. Iger noted out that the immersive, customizable content would set ESPN's offering apart from the ESPN/Fox/Warner Bros Discovery streaming venture that the companies announced in February and is set to launch later in 2024.
The addition of a standalone ESPN bundle comes at a time Disney+ is seeing big subscriber gains – more than 150 million at the end of the last fiscal year – but also big losses – $387 million in its Q4 2023.
There's no official word yet on what the new ESPN bundle will cost. The current plan with Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ costs $14.99 per month with ads and $24.99 per month with no ads. In March 2024, The Athletic cited network sources that said ESPN's new offering would likely cost $25 to $30 per month.
The Athletic also noted that currently, 71 million people pay for ESPN as part of a TV package like cable or YouTube TV. Given that the average US subscriber spends more than $1,000 a year on streaming, you have to wonder how much you would really save by cutting the cord for ESPN's new offering.