Key Points
- Disney has shut down ESPN 3 as it shifts its distribution strategy toward ESPN Unlimited, which carries all programming from ESPN’s cable networks and ESPN Plus.
- ESPN 3’s closure impacts Sling TV the most, where ABC sports had been accessible through the channel; those viewers must now use antennas or other apps offering local ABC stations.
- ESPN Unlimited is expanding across pay TV bundles, including Fubo, DIRECTV and Spectrum, and offers a $40 bundle with Fox One at a $10 monthly discount.
The Walt Disney Company has made good on its promise to wind down its streaming sports network ESPN 3 as part of a renewed distribution strategy that favors its own ESPN Unlimited platform.
The move comes several months after Disney began notifying cable, satellite and streaming cable-like services that ESPN 3’s days were numbered, with the announcement going out around the same time that Disney launched its ESPN Unlimited streaming plan.
Many of the events offered through ESPN 3 were available on ESPN’s core cable networks and via local ABC stations and affiliates across the country. A few events were also simulcast from ESPN Plus, which is not typically available in cable and satellite packages.
ESPN Unlimited effectively made ESPN 3 redundant: All sports programming from ESPN’s cable multiplex is available within the streaming plan, which costs $30 per month. Sports from ESPN Plus — offered through ESPN Unlimited as ESPN Select — and ABC is also part of the plan at no extra cost.
Few cable and satellite systems promoted ESPN 3 as part of their offering, but it was a core staple of Dish Network’s streaming service Sling TV, which only offers local ABC stations in the eight cities where Disney owns the outlet. Sports from ABC was available to subscribers of the Sling Orange package through ESPN 3; now, those customers will have to access ABC sports programming by installing an antenna or switching to another app that offers local ABC stations and affiliates.
Disney is likely unbothered by the position Sling TV is in: The two companies are currently engaged in a lawsuit over Sling TV’s decision to offer day passes to ESPN programming, which Disney argues is a violation of its distribution contract with Dish. Last month, a judge sided against Disney after the entertainment giant requested a preliminary injunction that would have blocked Sling from offering day passes to ESPN while the lawsuit continued.
Sling TV situation aside, Disney appears focused on integrating ESPN Unlimited in more pay TV packages, making ESPN 3 redundant. Currently, ESPN Unlimited is available in sports-inclusive packages offered by Fubo, DIRECTV, Spectrum TV and Hulu with Live TV; YouTube TV will be added to that list next year when the service rolls out its new sports plan.
ESPN Unlimited also offers a bundle that includes the Fox One streaming service for $40 per month, a $10 discount compared to the retail cost of each service.
