Walt Disney announced on 4 December 2024 a dedicated ESPN tile on its Disney+ streaming platform aimed at reeling in more casual sports fans. This integration allows subscribers to access select ESPN content directly through Disney+, without requiring a separate ESPN+ subscription. ESPN is providing about 100 live events to Disney+ subscribers, including coverage of college football and basketball, NBA and WNBA, NHL, MLB, tennis, golf, and even the Little League World Series and UFC.
In an effort to make sports more accessible, Disney is also expanding its offerings to include special telecasts like the alternate “Simpsons” version of the NFL’s “Monday Night Football” game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Dallas Cowboys, as well as five NBA Christmas games. It’s all part of ESPN’s shift toward a more inclusive sports fan, speaking to the broad Disney+ audience already enjoying a trove of kids’ and family programming, general entertainment and, for Hulu subscribers, extra content.
Further, ESPN will incorporate its studio programming, such as College Gameday, Pardon the Interruption, and other sports podcasts, into Disney+. ESPN will also provide documentaries and movies associated with the active sports seasons, thereby reaching a more extensive audience. If a Disney+ subscriber who doesn’t have ESPN+ chooses content that is only available on ESPN+, they will be asked to subscribe directly within the Disney+ interface.
The sports media giant is creating two studio shows exclusively for Disney+ to attract more accidental viewers. One will be the live, daily iteration of SportsCenter, which users can watch in real time and also access later as on-demand content. The second is a women’s sports show, which will come to Disney+ weekly or at least several times a week. This show is tailored for Disney+’s massive female audience and is part of ESPN’s plan to push more sports content to those with lower affinity for traditional sports broadcasts.
By the next year, this will introduce Disney+ subscribers to having access to all ESPN services directly from the ESPN tile. While ESPN+ offers some 30,000 live games each year, which it still offers as its own, a bundle of Disney+ Hulu and ESPN+ offered with commercials will be $16.99 a month, offering broader and more flexible access for casual and serious sports fans.
