ESPN’s standalone streaming service now has a launch window.
The “one-stop sports activities vacation spot” will arrive within the fall of 2025, in keeping with Disney CEO Bob Iger. Talking in the course of the firm’s first-quarter earnings name on Wednesday, Iger revealed that the service will embody the complete suite of ESPN channels and be “extremely interactive.” Later within the earnings name, Iger stated the platform will “in all probability” launch in August.
“Not solely will shoppers be capable to stream their favourite stay video games and studio programming, they will even have entry to partaking digital integrations like ESPN Wager and fantasy sports activities, e-commerce options and a deep array of sports activities stats,” Iger stated.
The information follows Tuesday’s announcement of a brand new sports activities streaming service from Disney, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery, drawing from each of their respective television and streaming networks. Talking with CNBC, Iger described that service as a type of linear channel “bundle” from the three corporations, whereas this new ESPN standalone service shall be centered on that particular channel that Disney owns.
Disney did not announce pricing for both the mixed providing or this new standalone service.
Along with being completely different from the mixed providing this new service may even be separate from ESPN Plus that already exists. ESPN Plus provides on-demand ESPN authentic content material just like the documentary sequence “30 for 30” and a few stay sports activities, however CNET’s evaluation describes it as extra of “the facet salad to ESPN’s principal dish.” Main sporting occasions, together with numerous Monday Evening Soccer contests in addition to most MLB and NBA video games that air on the ESPN cable channel aren’t obtainable on ESPN Plus.
Iger stated the brand new flagship ESPN service shall be an immersive, sports-centric app that can finally be mixed with Disney Plus and Hulu in a bundle providing.
Through the Wednesday earnings name, Disney additionally revealed it plans to begin charging users a fee to share their Disney Plus account later this yr.
Disney did not instantly reply to a request for added info.