Disney this week launched ESPN direct-to-consumer sports streamer — to get “all of ESPN, all in one place,” with no need to subscribe to a cable, satellite or internet TV service.
The premium ESPN Unlimited tier is regularly priced at $29.99 per month. But some pay-TV subscribers already have access to everything in ESPN Unlimited as part of their plan, for no additional charge.
ESPN Unlimited is available on certain plans offered by Charter’s Spectrum, Disney’s Hulu + Live TV, DirecTV (streaming-only) and Fubo TV. Essentially, the agreements Disney had with TV providers to bundle ESPN+ have now rolled over to encompass ESPN Unlimited. In addition, a spokesperson for Verizon said Fios TV customers will have access to ESPN Unlimited “in the coming weeks.”
Note that only not every plan offered by those providers includes ESPN Unlimited. For example, Charter says these are the plans that include ESPN Unlimited (and Disney+): Spectrum TV Select, Spectrum TV Select Signature and Spectrum TV Select Plus.
Notable providers that do not currently bundle ESPN Unlimited include Comcast (Xfinity), Dish Network, YouTube TV and Altice USA (Optimum). In a note on Hulu’s customer service site, Disney says this: “If ESPN Unlimited is not included in your TV provider’s package, you can still enjoy ESPN sports through your TV provider, plus Disney+ and Hulu content through standalone or bundled streaming subscriptions.”
Disney also says — in language that evokes carriage disputes between programmers and distributors — that, “You can also reach out to your TV provider to request ESPN Unlimited be included as part of your package.”
ESPN Unlimited provides access to all ESPN networks and ESPN+, delivering some 47,000 live events per year including live games from the NFL, NBA and WBNA, NHL, MLB, tennis and golf majors, SEC, ACC, and Big 12 football and basketball, as well as the NCAA’s College Football Playoff. The plan includes ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNews, ESPN Deportes, SECN, ACCN, ESPN+, ESPN on ABC, SECN+, ACCNX and ESPN3. Users also have access to on‑demand programming, such as “SportsCenter,” “First Take,” “Pardon the Interruption,” “College GameDay” and premium originals like “30 for 30.”
Separate from the pay-TV distribution deals, Disney is offering an introductory bundle with Disney+, Hulu and ESPN Unlimited for $29.99/month for the first 12 months. Meanwhile, also available is ESPN Select, which costs $11.99 per month and provides 32,000 live events annually but does not include access to the ESPN linear networks.
And what has happened to ESPN+, the previously standalone subscription streaming service that carried thousands of live events not available on ESPN’s linear TV networks? According to the company, “ESPN+ is now a network with content that is exclusive to ESPN Select and Unlimited subscribers.”
The enhanced ESPN app includes other features, alongside the ESPN direct-to-consumer option. Those include “SC For You,” which ESPN says is in “beta,” a personalized, daily version of “SportsCenter” with highlights, news and video tailored to each fan’s favorite teams, leagues and sports interests, narrated by AI-generated commentary based on the voices of “SportsCenter” anchors Hannah Storm, Gary Striewski and Christine Williamson, along with ESPN commentator Omar Raja.
Also new are ESPN Verts, swipe-able, personalized vertical videos, and ESPN StreamCenter, a second-screen experience that lets fans to match the ESPN app on their mobile device with the ESPN app on their connected TV as they watch a live event. StreamCenter “eliminates information lag and spoilers by enabling fans to synchronize live games on their connected TV device with stats and automated alerts on their mobile device,” according to ESPN.
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