ESPN is changing up the way it streams content in a big way. The company announced on Tuesday that it has a price and a timetable for its standalone streaming service, which will launch along with a redesign of its various ESPN apps.
Disney CEO Bob Iger said on CNBC Tuesday that ESPN’s standalone streaming package will cost $4.99 per month and will come with a variety of features not available on ESPN’s traditional cable networks. The network reported the price of the package as Disney announced its Q1 earnings.
If you’re a cable subscriber, however, the biggest news is that some of the programming already available for streaming may not be there for you once the app relaunches later this spring.
Disney CEO Bob Iger says a new ESPN app will launch in the spring and "ESPN Plus" streaming service will cost $4.99. pic.twitter.com/nIMzPh9H5n
— CNBC (@CNBC) February 6, 2018
“Sometime in the spring we’re going to launch a completely revised and basically redesigned ESPN app,” Iger said on CNBC on Tuesday. “That one app will have three primary features to it.”
Iger’s comments seem to point to the elimination of standalone WatchESPN and ESPN apps, instead combining into one app. Iger said scores and highlights will get a bump in audio and video quality as the first function of the app.
Streamed, ESPN network content will also be on the app, which will require a subscription either through cable, satellite or the new standalone streaming package. Subscribing to that package, which Iger said Disney is calling ESPN+ (or ESPN Plus), will also give you live content not available on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU or ESPNews.
“That will include an array of live programming that is not available — live sports, live sports events — that is not available on the current channels,” Iger said. “And that’s by the thousands. In addition to that a lot of other programming like the ’30 for 30′ series.”
If we’re reading this right, the more obscure content often shown on ESPN3 is now going behind the paywall, even if you already have an ESPN subscription through over the air television. That’s a big blow for darts fans and people who enjoy watching late-night cornhole. We’ll learn more about exactly what ESPN+ entails as Disney gets closer to launch, but this seems to indicate there might be some big drawbacks to the plan if you’re already an ESPN subscriber.
