The entertainment conglomerate Disney todaylaunchedESPN+, its new video-streaming service with 10,000 live sporting events in its first year, including more than 180 Major League Baseball and National Hockey League games.
The service rolled out at a price of $4.99 per month, with annual subscriptions available for $44.99 per year. Aside from live events, ESPN+ provides an on-demand library of content and exclusive programming unavailable on the network’s linear channels.
Videos are streamed in high definition at a silky smooth sixty frames per second.
There are also thousands of college sports events, ranging from 20 different athletic conferences across the country and other live sports include rugby, cricket, boxing, tennis and golf. There’s also built-in DVR function so fans can record sporting events to watch later.
One of the programs is a basketball analysis show, titled “Detail,” which is written, produced and hosted by the former basketball star Kobe Bryant who breaks down NBA games played the day before. Aside from live sports, exclusive studio programs and on-demand archive, your ESPN+ subscription includes some original shows and films, like “Draft Academy”.
Live NFL or NBA games are not part of the offering.
Here’s what customers are getting with an ESPN+ subscription:
Live Sports
Thousands of games and events from professional leagues and international sports as well as college sports from nearly two dozen conferences across the country, including:
Exclusive, original content developed specifically for ESPN+, including original documentaries, docu-series and more.
New and exclusive ESPN studio programming devoted to multiple sports and sports topics, including:
An unmatched sports archive featuring thousands of hours of on-demand programs and past sporting events. At launch, this includes:
ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro told CNBC that it’s goin to take a “number of years” before ESPN+ turns from a loss-making service into a profitable offering.
ESPN+ is available through the website ESPN.com and via ESPN’s overhauled app for iPhone, iPad and Apple TV. ESPN+ content appears within Apple’s TV app across iOS and tvOS devices.
The service is also accessible Android phones, Android TV, Chromecast and Amazon’s devices including Fire TV, Fire TV Stick, Fire TV smart TVs and fourth-generation and Fire tablets.
ESPN+ availability starts today in the United States only. A 7-day free trial is available, but Disney’s launch week promotion lets you try the service for free for 30 days.
Download ESPN’s app for iOS and tvOS from App Store.
