A new streaming service being developed by the Walt Disney Company could charge up to $30 per month for online access to the ESPN multiplex of cable sports channels, according to a report published on Thursday.
The report, from CNBC, said the forthcoming ESPN direct-to-consumer app will mix linear programming from the cable networks with user-generated content akin to video uploads found on YouTube and other social media websites.
The service does not yet have a name, though Disney executives — including its CEO, Bob Iger — have long confirmed the development of the app. It will be the first time the ESPN multiplex is offered through a streaming service in a way that isn’t tied to the delivery of other Disney-owned channels like FX, National Geographic and Freeform.
CNBC says the service is expected to launch with a retail price between $25 and $30 per month, which will include “all of ESPN’s linear programming plus other digital add-ons,” the financial news channel said, citing unnamed sources. At least one add-on has already been revealed — the service will include access to ESPN Plus, Disney’s current sports streaming service that offers access to some ESPN programming and other live athletic events that aren’t aired on its channels.
Last year, Disney executives were readying the availability of ESPN’s multiplex cable networks through the streaming service Venu Sports, which was being developed as part of a joint venture involving Disney, Fox Corporation, Warner Bros Discovery and their sports businesses. Disney and its two peer broadcasters were sued by Fubo last February on antitrust grounds; the lawsuit was resolved with the dissolution of Venu Sports and a still-pending merger of Disney and Fubo’s pay TV businesses.
