 Promotional image for the service | |
| Headquarters | , U.S. |
|---|---|
| Area served | United States |
| Owner | The Walt Disney Company (80%) Hearst Communications (20%) |
| Parent | ESPN Inc. |
| URL | https://plus.espn.com/ |
| Launched | August 21, 2025; 2 months ago (2025-08-21) |
TheESPN direct-to-consumer service, officially known as simplyESPN and also referred to asESPN DTC orESPN Unlimited, and "the all new ESPN app", is an Americanover-the-topsportsvideo streaming service launched byESPN Inc., a majority-owned subsidiary ofthe Walt Disney Company in partnership withHearst Communications, on August 21, 2025.[1]
Initially known by the projectcode name "Flagship" (or asESPN Flagship), the service makes ESPN's full range of content—including its corelinearcable television channels and associated digital content—available on a fully standalone,direct-to-consumer (DTC) basis for the first time. Much of the content was previously only available as part of traditional subscription TVbundles offered bycable,satellite, andvirtual MVPD providers. The service subsumes the programming of ESPN's supplemental streaming serviceESPN+ as an entry-level "Select" tier, and also include enhanced features on ESPN digital properties.
ESPN intends the new service to also be available viaTV Everywhere authentication for existing subscribers, pending carriage negotiations.
Disney launched theESPN+ streaming service in April 2018; due to the company's agreements with cable companies and other service providers, the service could not include access to ESPN's cable channels, and instead primarily offered sports content not available on those channels.[2]
In May 2023,The Wall Street Journal reported that ESPN was working on a project, internallycode named "Flagship", to offer its namesake cable channel directly to consumers outside of the cable bundle. As part of this project, ESPN was reported to be in negotiations with cable providers and sports leagues to give it the flexibility to launch such a service.[3] On February 7, 2024, Disney chief executiveBob Iger announced during an earnings call that the service would launch in late August or fall 2025.[4]
Prior to the announcement of the service's name as simply "ESPN", Disney and ESPN press releases referred to the project as the "ESPN flagship direct-to-consumer service".[5] Most externaltrade media had referred to the service as "ESPN Flagship" or simply "Flagship".[6][7][8] In March 2025, a Disney executive was reported to have referred to the service as "ESPN All Access" at an industry conference, though no official announcement was made at that time.[9] In May 2025, CNBC reported via internal sources that the service may be branded as simply "ESPN" with no disambiguation, to signify the service as being the network's core offering for both over the top and subscription television customers, and to reduce market confusion by not using commonly-usedsuffixes such as "Plus".[10] This plan was confirmed by Disney a few days later;[11] at launch, the service was promoted with the slogan "All of ESPN. All in One Place",[12][13] and as part of "the all new ESPN app".[14][15]
On August 6, 2025, ESPN announced that the service would launch on August 21; the launch would coincide with a stretch of ESPN-televised events, most notably the start of college football season, and theUS Open.[16][17]
The service is available in two tiers, "Select" and "Unlimited". The lower-priced Select plan replaces the existing ESPN+ service, which primarily carries events or coverage not available on ESPN's linear channels. Existing ESPN+ subscribers would be converted to this plan automatically, though the ESPN+ brand will remain active for an unspecified period of time due to contractual obligations.[11][18]
The higher-priced "Unlimited" plan, in addition to ESPN+ content, includes all of ESPN's existing U.S. linear cable channels—including theflagshipESPN channel,ESPN2,ESPNU,ESPNews,ESPN Deportes,ACC Network, andSEC Network—as well asESPN on ABC programming, and streaming-only content previously only available throughTV provider authentication under theESPN3, ACC Network Extra (ACCNX), and SEC Network+ brands.[11][3][6][10][19] With plans for ESPN to acquire NFL Media,NFL Network will be distributed as part of the service in the future;[20][21] in the meantime, the service will carry additional NFL content (including interactive features and a package of out-of-marketpreseason games), while ESPN will have the ability to offer bundles of the service withNFL+.[16]
The ESPN apps were updated alongside the service's launch to include new features for subscribers, such as "SportsCenter For You"—a beta feature allowing users to create customized feeds of sports highlights narrated usingAI voices based onSportsCenter anchors, multiview support, the ability to view real-time statistics and updates from ESPN fantasy games and theESPN Betsportsbook (with a goal to allow live betting from within the app in the future), and thesecond screen feature "StreamCenter".[22][23][24] ESPN partnered withFanatics to integrateonline shopping features for sports-related products.[22] Some reports have suggested the service will eventually include the ability to hostuser-generated content.[25] By contrast, in the lead-up to the service's launch,ESPN.com began to quietly discontinue an ESPN+paywall it had established for certain original content and premium analysis (a practice dating back to the former "ESPN Insider" service, which was folded into ESPN+ in 2018).[26][27][28]
On August 6, 2025,professional wrestling promotionWWE announced a five-year agreement with ESPN, in which itspay-per-view andlivestreaming events would move to the ESPN app for subscribers, with select events also being aired on ESPN's linear channels. ESPN will also broadcast studio programming such as pre- and post-event shows, and will have the ability to broadcast studio programs such asSportsCenter from the sites of WWE events. The deal succeeds one between WWE andNBCUniversal's streaming servicePeacock; the agreement does not cover digital rights to WWE's library content orNXT live events, although ESPN presidentJames Pitaro has expressed interest in the library rights if they become available.[16][29][30][31] While originally announced as beginning in 2026, the agreement was later revealed as beginning in September 2025 with its live eventWrestlepalooza; the Peacock contract was based on a quota of events televised and not necessarily a period of time, and had been fulfilled by additional events (such as the second night ofSummerSlam and the women's eventEvolution) not initially on WWE's schedule for the year.[32][33]
As part of a renewed deal betweenMajor League Baseball and ESPN, the ESPN app would addMLB.tv, the league's onlineout-of-market sports package, and the in-market streaming rights to six teams under theMLB Local Media umbrella beginning with the2026 MLB season.[34][35]
Disney has said that all content will be available through both ESPN's own existing app, as well as the ESPN hub on theDisney+ app for those also subscribed to that service.[8][36] In February 2025, CNBC reported the most likely price would be either $25 or $30 per month.[25] Disney later confirmed the $29.99 monthly price for the unlimited tier—though with an introductory offer to bundle the ad-supported versions of Disney+ and Hulu at no additional charge for 12 months—while the select tier would retain ESPN+'s pricing of $11.99 per month.[11] On August 11, 2025, ESPN andFox Corporation announced that it would offer a bundle of the ESPN service with the then-upcomingFox One priced at $39.99 per month.[37][38]
In September 2023, as part of its settlement of acarriage dispute with Disney,Charter Communications gained the right to distribute the planned service as part of its existing packages on launch.[39] In September 2024, following its own carriage dispute with Disney,DirecTV secured similar distribution rights for the ESPN flagship service.[40] In May 2025, Disney's Iger said that all subscribers to the ESPN linear channels would "automatically" get access to the unlimited service.[41] The company later clarified that various enhancements being introduced alongside the streaming product would be added to ESPN's apps at no extra charge for existing television subscribers,[11] but that the enhanced service will not be available to all providers at launch.[42] As of September 2025, notable holdouts includedAltice USA,Dish Network,Xfinity, andYouTube TV.[43]
In late-October 2025, Disney renewed its carriage agreements with Comcast to allow access to the service for Xfinity subscribers.[44] On November 14, it was announced that the service would become available to YouTube TV subscribers following a new carriage agreement with Disney. By the end of 2026, the service's content will also be accessible directly within the YouTube TV interface.[45][46]
The rights to distribute Disney's upcoming ESPN flagship direct-to-consumer service upon its launch at no additional cost to DIRECTV customers.
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