The rollout for ESPN’s new and improved direct-to-consumer app has been confusing to say the least.
The company has been steadfast in its marketing: “All of ESPN. All in one place.” No matter how or where you get ESPN, be that through a traditional cable bundle or paying the network directly, you’ll get everything the Worldwide Leader has to offer.
Except, that’s not quite how it has worked, at least for the time being. Major distributors like Comcast and YouTube TV, which combine for over 20 million subscribers, are still on the outside looking in when it comes to having full access to the exclusive live programming being housed on the new ESPN app. And with the first major app-exclusive live event coming this Saturday, WWE’s Wrestlepalooza, confusion will be at an all-time high.
And according to JT Lasker, SVP of direct-to-consumer at ESPN, it will stay that way through this weekend. When asked by Awful Announcing during a press availability on Wednesday whether ESPN would offer some form of limited accessibility for pay TV subscribers that don’t currently have access to ESPN Unlimited, the company’s premium app tier that will house Wrestlepalooza, Lasker said no. That means WWE fans who get ESPN through distributors like Comcast, YouTube TV, Cox, Sling TV, and others, will need to, in essence, double pay for ESPN if they want access to Saturday’s event.
But per Lasker, this accessibility issue won’t last long. The ESPN executive says the “vast majority” of distributors whose subscribers aren’t currently able to authenticate into ESPN Unlimited will be able to do so by year’s end. That timeline, quite frankly, would be worst case scenario, as ESPN/Disney have deals expiring with Google and Comcast as soon as next month. If the network and its distribution partners want to avoid blackouts with those major platforms, the deals will need to come to fruition much sooner than the end of the calendar year.
So while this is a short-term issue for ESPN, it’s bound to create a number of unhappy wrestling fans come this Saturday. ESPN, for its part, says it’s doing its best to communicate to pay TV subscribers that currently have access to ESPN Unlimited — including Charter, Verizon, and DirecTV customers — that they will be able to watch Wrestlepalooza free of charge this Saturday. However, the company also says it is not planning any outreach to customers that won’t have access to the event, which will be the very same customers that will be the most upset and the most confused.
ESPN’s hasty rollout for its new app to align with football season, plus a WWE deal that came together much sooner than anticipated, is all coming to a head. The network was not ready to have app-exclusive live programming this quickly, before it could finalize distribution deals with several key partners.
The result? A large group of wrestling fans that are guaranteed to be angry come Saturday evening. It’s not ideal, but ESPN is going forward anyway. The network will just have to hope WWE fans are willing to forgive and forget once the distribution deals are shored up, and everyone can watch as intended.
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