Disney+ is getting ESPN. The sports network is now trying to get Disney+ subscribers to visit ESPN.
On Wednesday, Walt Disney unveiled a special ESPN tile on Disney+ that allows users of the sports streaming service to watch shows without ever leaving the Disney+ app. Those members will have complete access to all ESPN content via the ESPN tile on Disney+ when ESPN launches its unnamed flagship service in the fall of next year.
Disney+ subscribers who do not have an ESPN subscription will be able to watch about 100 live games. According to ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro, such events will include Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association and WNBA, college football and basketball, the National Hockey League, tennis, golf, the Little League World Series, and the UFC.
Disney+ users will also be able to watch five NBA Christmas games and the NFL’s Monday Night Football game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Dallas Cowboys on the alternate Simpsons airing next week.
“If you’re a Hulu subscriber, you’ll have access to general entertainment, sports, and kids and family when you subscribe to Disney+,” Pitaro added. Serving sports fans wherever they are at any time is our aim.
Additionally, ESPN will make certain of its studio shows available to non-ESPN subscribers on Disney+, including College Gameday, Pardon the Interruption, and some podcasts with video. According to Pitaro, a few ESPN documentaries and sports-related movies will also be available on Disney+ throughout the current sporting season.
Like Hulu’s integration earlier this year, ESPN’s programming will also be included in the Disney+ search. A Disney+ member who is not an ESPN customer will be asked to sign up within the app if they click on anything that calls for an ESPN subscription.
New content for Disney+
According to Pitaro, ESPN is also producing two studio series just for Disney+. The first will be a daily SportsCenter exclusively for Disney+ members, which will be available for on-demand viewing after airing live on Disney+ at a predetermined time.
The second is a sports program for women that can air once a week or many times a week. Pitaro stated that both programs are still under development and will be designed for a more casual sports fan.
According to our analysis, there isn’t much overlap between Disney+ and ESPN linear viewers, Pitaro said.
Pitaro originally hinted at the weekly women’s show in an October interview with CNBC Sport, and he expects that the strong female audience on Disney+ will watch it.
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When purchased separately from Disney+, ESPN+ costs $11.99 per month and features over 30,000 live games annually. The monthly cost of a Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ bundle (with advertisements) is $16.99.
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