ESPN Announces New Streaming Platform: Here’s the Price and Launch Date

In only two weeks, Disney’s cable-born ESPN will enter a new era: On Thursday, August 21, the sports media giant will debut its recently revealed standalone streaming service.

The business says that the debut date is “timed for a marquee stretch of live sports programming across ESPN platforms.” In addition to the U.S. Open tennis, international soccer, women’s college soccer, volleyball, field hockey, and other events, the late-summer debut also marks the start of the NBA and NHL seasons, the PLL playoffs, the WNBA playoffs, and the UFC and WWE events “just around the corner.”

Fans can get all of ESPN’s linear networks, including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SECN, ACCN, ESPNews, and ESPN Deportes, as well as ESPN on ABC, ESPN+, ESPN3, SECN+, and ACCNX, with the $29.99/month ESPN DTC unlimited package. The schedule includes studio performances, original content, on-demand replays, and 47,000 live events annually. At launch, there is a special offer for the ESPN unlimited plan that includes Disney+ and Hulu for $29.99/month for the first 12 months.

Under a five-year agreement, the ESPN standalone streamer will also be the sole U.S. venue for WWE’s main events, such as “WrestleMania,” beginning in 2026. Peacock of NBCUniversal has had the exclusive rights to the high-end WWE events since 2021.

For $11.99 a month, sports fans can also choose to subscribe to ESPN+, which offers over 32,000 live events a year but excludes access to the linear nets.

Additional NFL content will soon be available on ESPN’s standalone streaming service. Additional NFL programming and material will be available on Disney+ and the standalone sports streamer under new license arrangements. In 2025 and 2026, “selected out-of-market NFL preseason games” will be streamed on ESPN’s DTC service. Additionally, ESPN will have the ability to sell and bundle NFL+ Premium, the League’s 2022 DTC program, with ESPN’s DTC service. With NFL+ Premium, viewers may watch NFL Network and NFL RedZone. Additionally, ESPN signed a multi-year extension for the NFL Draft.

Additionally, the ESPN Fantasy Football site and ESPN’s new customized “SportsCenter For You” will feature NFL highlights. While viewing ESPN’s NFL games and shows on the ESPN App, fans may take use of the new multiview functionality. An exclusive on-demand “Monday Night Football” recap will be available to ESPN DTC members. Additionally, on linked TVs or mobile devices, fans will be able to monitor integrated game statistics, sports betting data and bet tracking, and customized ESPN Fantasy Football team performance.

Disney announced a significant agreement with the NFL on Tuesday, according to which the league will own a 10% share in ESPN, valued at up to $2.5 billion, according to analysts. In trade, ESPN will take over three pro football games that were formerly broadcast on the NFL’s own cable network, as well as NFL Network and the NFL RedZone highlights program.

Live and on-demand access to all of ESPN’s top studio shows, such as “SportsCenter,” “Get Up,” “First Take,” “NFL Live,” “The Pat McAfee Show,” “Pardon the Interruption,” “College GameDay,” “NBA Today,” “Inside the NBA,” and “The Rich Eisen Show,” will be available to all subscribers to the network’s unlimited plan, whether they purchased it directly from ESPN or through a traditional pay-TV provider. Additionally, “30 for 30” movies, ESPN originals, replays, and other content are available to subscribers via an on-demand library.

ESPN claims that the updated ESPN App will give viewers a more dynamic, tailored viewing experience. Updated multiview options, integrated game statistics, betting data, fantasy sports, and commerce, as well as a customized “SC For You,” are among the new features.