Disney CEO Iger Unveils $30/Month ’Sports Fan’s Dream’ Streaming Service—Here’s Why It’s a Game-Changer

Disney just dropped a bomb on the streaming wars—and sports fans are the big winners.

The new $30/month service promises to be a one-stop shop for live games, exclusive content, and hardcore fan experiences. No more juggling five apps to catch your team.

Wall Street analysts are already calling it 'the Netflix of sports'—though let's be real, they'll probably find a way to monetize your heartbeat by 2026.

Iger's betting big that fans will pay premium prices for premium access. Given Disney's track record? They probably will.

Key Takeaways

• The new ESPN streaming service will launch Aug. 21 and cost $30 per month, Disney confirmed Wednesday.
• The streamer will show all the sports ESPN broadcasts, including "Monday Night Football," NBA regular season and playoffs games, and several other sports.
• ESPN on Tuesday also announced the acquisition of NFL Network and its popular RedZone feature in exchange for the NFL acquiring a 10% stake in ESPN.

The Wide World of Sports ESPN Will Stream

The ESPN streaming service will have two tiers at launch, one at $11.99 that will resemble the network's existing ESPN+ subscription, and another at $29.99 that will show all 47,000 events across ESPN's networks.

ESPN currently broadcasts a varying number of regular season and playoff games across the MLB, NFL, and NBA, along with NCAA football, and other sports like UFC, professional tennis, and soccer. Disney CEO Bob Iger said on Wednesday's quarterly earnings call that the new streamer will be a "sports fan's dream," and said the service and revamped ESPN app will have more sports content than any single TV channel.

Tip

Elsewhere in the world of streaming, Iger said Wednesday that Disney plans to "fully integrate" Hulu into Disney+ after acquiring full ownership of the streaming service and recently starting to include Hulu and ESPN content into that streaming service.

Disney's NFL and WWE Deals

Disney also agreed to give up a piece of its majority stake in ESPN to the NFL, which will own a 10% stake in ESPN. In exchange, ESPN acquired NFL media assets like the NFL Network cable channel and its popular "NFL RedZone" channel, which shows the highest-leverage moments from NFL games on Sundays during the regular season.

Disney also announced Wednesday that ESPN subscribers can bundle their subscription with NFL Premium+, which includes RedZone and other NFL content. In addition, Iger said in Wednesday's earnings call that the company is open to bundling the ESPN streamer with sports-focused offerings from other broadcasters, per an AlphaSense transcript. Disney's ESPN launch comes months after the company and other broadcasters abandoned plans for Venu, a streaming service that WOULD have shown a wide range of sports.

On Wednesday, ESPN separately announced a deal to become the broadcaster of TKO Group's (TKO) World Wrestling Entertainment's annual events like WrestleMania and the Royal Rumble, and said they will be available through the ESPN streamer.

The Bottom Line

Disney's new $30-per-month ESPN streaming service could mark a significant shift in how sports fans watch their favorite teams. With thousands of events across all ESPN networks, plus newly acquired NFL content including RedZone, the service aims to be the most comprehensive sports streaming platform available.