In this era of cord-cutting, many sports fans for years have been clamoring: “I wish I could get ESPN without having cable!”
That day has now come. On Thursday, ESPN has launched its much-anticipated direct-to-consumer streaming service product and a set of new features on an enhanced ESPN App.
ESPN Chair Jimmy Pitaro said, “This is a monumental day for all of us at ESPN, for The Walt Disney Company and, most importantly, for our fans. ESPN DTC and the ESPN App are a powerful combination marking a major turning point in how we serve sports fans – anytime, anywhere – for years to come”
During an appearance on CNBC, Pitaro said, “We’re approaching our 46th year here, and I would say that this is one of the biggest days at ESPN, if not the biggest.”
That’s partly PR hype, for sure. But it’s also true. It really is a big deal.
ESPN Unlimited, which costs $29.99 a month or $299.99 a year, gives viewers access to all of ESPN's linear networks: ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, ESPN Deportes, SEC Network, ACC Network — in addition to ESPN on ABC, ESPN+, ESPN3, SECN+ and ACCNX. It includes 47,000 live events a year, on demand replays, studio shows, original programming and more.
As The Hollywood Reporter’s Steven Zeitchik puts it, “… pretty much anything ESPN ever has aired or ever will air. In the brief history of phone applications, perhaps no product has ever given us that much professional video in our pockets.”
It’s a move ESPN needed to make to not only stay ahead in the TV business, but to keep pace.
The Athletic’s Andrew Marchant wrote, “In the digital age, this subscriber number has eroded as cord-cutters (viewers leaving the cable bundle) and cord-nevers (younger people who never even subscribed to cable in the first place) have become more the norm than the exception during the digitized YouTube- and Netflix-ization of viewing habits. In May, for the first time, more viewers consumed streaming services than traditional networks, per Nielsen. ESPN is in around 61 million homes today, between cable, satellite and services like YouTube TV. ESPN receives around $15 per subscriber monthly from distributors for all of its networks. That results in the still-not-too-shabby math of around a billion dollars per month of revenue, and that’s before ESPN sells one commercial.”
But this isn’t only about another way to get games without having cable.
As Zeitchik notes, “ESPN brass has come up with a more personalized twist. You can go deep down the stat and video-clip rabbit hole of your go-to team with a new feature called ‘Verts.’ You can shop, get betting info and scour fantasy updates right next to a broadcast. And, yes, in one of the more eerie but potentially prescient developments, you can personalize Sports Center, complete with AI-generated clips based on your team preferences and even an automated announcer voice trained on the actual voices of four personalities, including Hannah Storm and Omar Raja.”
As Zeitchik joked, the only thing it can’t do is change the results … yet.
The Washington Post’s Ben Strauss wrote, “For a decade, ESPN has been balancing the old model with the new. Two years ago, Pitaro said, came the tipping point. The cable bundle was shedding between 8 and 9 percent of its subscribers per year. He knew the new app would need to be launched quickly.”
He added, “How many customers will pay $30 per month for ESPN alone remains to be seen, but the service, executives said, also will fit into current and future bundles, including with Disney’s other streaming platforms, Hulu and Disney+, at a higher price. A separate product that includes all of ESPN and Fox Sports will be available this fall for $40 per month.”
And just because ESPN is launching this direct-to-consumer product, it does not mean viewers can’t continue to get ESPN through their cable providers. In addition, ESPN says, “Hulu + Live TV, DIRECTV (streaming only), Fubo TV, and Spectrum TV customers may already get the ESPN Unlimited Plan as part of their pay-TV package, with more to come.”
Pitaro has said this is just the “first inning” of what ESPN has in store.
“The best part is, we’re just getting started,” Pitaro said. “What we’re launching today will evolve with regular enhancements over time. As we have since 1979, we’ll continue to listen, adapt and innovate, with sports fans at the center of everything we do. There is no finish line.”
There are also other service plans and details, so for more, here’s ESPN with “What is the new ESPN DTC service? Plans, costs, key facts.” And here’s The Athletic’s Steven Louis Goldstein with “What to know about ESPN’s new direct-to-consumer subscription service.”
Oh, and one more fun promo from wrestler John Cena.
