Back in May 2023, we learned that Disney was in the process of building a streaming service to offer ESPN as a standalone streaming service. This would allow sports fans to watch ESPN without cable TV or a live TV streaming service. Today, we got a small update on the service.
During ESPN Media Days, ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro revealed some details about the service. The first big news was that ESPN is building in the ability to replace RSNs like Bally Sports with the ESPN app. This would allow local MLB, NHL and NBA teams to stream their games in their respective markets, much like RSNs like Bally Sports do now, but through the ESPN app. Currently, ESPN does not have the rights to do this with any teams, but it seems like they are looking into ways to do so.
The other news was that the new ESPN standalone app won’t be cheap. Jimmy Pitaro said ESPN plans to price the service in a way that ESPN won’t price people paying cable TV for this new service. That likely means the service will cost between $20 and $30 per month, with many speculating it will be closer to $30 per month.
Millions of sports fans have dreamed of a service that offers them exclusively sports channels, and now we seem to be one step closer to making that dream come true.
When asked about the future of ESPN as a direct streaming service during Disney’s Q1 2023 earnings call, CEO Bob Iger said: “If you ask me when ESPN might make the switch, is the switch inevitable? The answer is yes, but I’m not going to give you any indication of when that might be, because obviously we have to do it at a time that really makes sense for the bottom line. And we’re just not there yet,” Bob Iger said. “And that’s not just about how many subscribers we might get, but also how much pricing power ESPN has, which of course is tied to the sports they license.”
Not long ago, ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro made it clear again that ESPN will be a streaming service – but not yet.
“We will get to a point where we will make our entire network, our flagship programs, available directly to the consumer,” Pitaro said in an interview with Bloomberg“The question is ‘when’, not ‘if’… We will only do it if it makes sense for our business and our bottom line.”
Insiders have told the New York Post that ESPN’s streaming service may not be available until 2025 or even 2026. A lot can still change that could prompt Disney to shut down the ESPN streaming service sooner, but currently sources say 2025 is the likely target date.
Although Disney may be targeting a 2025 release date, reports say the service is already being built. The project is called “Flagship” and is part of Disney’s plan to be ready for the day cable TV ends.
