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Why ESPN+ Should Be Part of Your Streaming Bundle, Even If You Still Have Cable

Jeff Kotuby
Jeff Kotuby is a contributing writer to The Streamable who specializes in sports, music, and all things Japanese media. He cut the cord in 2017 and has spent the last six years of his career writing for technology, entertainment, and healthcare websites. He's a lifelong Philadelphia Eagles and Anaheim Ducks fan, but also enjoys watching animated shows from the '90s.
Read full bio ›
Jeff Kotuby

Whether you are a sports fan who has cut the cord, or you still have a cable subscription, ESPN+ is evolving to become a must-have part of your personal streaming bundle. The Worldwide Leader’s dedicated streaming service is chock-full of live sports content, from your core four sports like football, basketball, baseball, and hockey, to your niche sports like cricket, rugby, esports, and water polo.

ESPN+ has just about everything a sports fan can ask for. ESPN+ is also home to the acclaimed 30 for 30 series, as well as ESPN’s extensive variety of studio shows, some exclusive to ESPN+, as well as live streams for its ESPN Radio shows.

In addition, sports fans who want access to the extensive library of fantasy sports tools and resources on ESPN.com, as well as access to much of the reporting from sports writers and columnists on ESPN.com will need to have ESPN+ in order to take advantage of them.

The best part is that it is only $6.99 a month or $69.99 a year, or is included in The Disney Bundle, which adds Disney+ and Hulu for $13.99 a month.

If you’ve been holding off on signing up or just don’t know what ESPN has in store for you, here are five great reasons to consider ESPN+ as your next streaming service subscription.

1. Live sports

It seems pretty obvious, but yes, ESPN+’s largest selling point is indeed its wide variety of live sports content. You will get 75+ exclusive NHL games that won’t air on cable, and just about every out-of-market NHL game from every team.

You’ll also get every out-of-market MLS and select out-of-market MLB contests, and a host of collegiate athletics including from major conferences like the SEC. You’ll also get combat sports like boxing and UFC (we’ll talk more about that later) as well as niche sports like cricket that have a large following overseas.

2. UFC

ESPN+ serves as the exclusive home for UFC PPV events and will also host its smaller “Fight Night” cards as well. There’s also plenty of ESPN-created studio content available on ESPN+, such as “The Chael Sonnen Show” with Jorge Sedano, the rebooted Ultimate Fighter series, and “UFC Unleashed.”

For deep-cut fight fans, ESPN+ also offers the Professional Fighters League on its platform. PFL differs from UFC in that it has a calendar more similar to a traditional sports league like football or basketball, with a regular and post-season, while UFC maintains the same year-round schedule as boxing.

3. Documentaries

If you’re all live-sportsed out and just want to hear someone talk about the ‘86 Mets for a few hours, ESPN+ also offers a wide variety of documentaries, including the entirety of its “30 for 30” series. Other documentary content includes “The Last Dance,” ESPN’s storytelling venture “E:60,” and “SC: Featured,” another take on the journalistic feature genre.

4. Studio shows

There are a few studio shows exclusive to ESPN+ that may be of interest to sports fans. From shows helmed by ESPN personalities like “NFL PrimeTime” to athlete-lead shows like “Peyton’s Places,” “Eli’s Places,” “DC & RC,” and more, there’s a little something for everyone on ESPN+.

For hockey fans, they even have a daily highlights show called “In The Crease” and a weekly show with John Buccigross called “The Point.”

5. Exclusive Columns and Fantasy Tools

In addition, sports fans who want access to the extensive library of fantasy sports tools and resources on ESPN.com, as well as access to much of the reporting from sports writers and columnists on ESPN.com will need to have ESPN+ in order to take advantage of them.

ESPN.com still carries breaking news, but features are now exclusive to ESPN+. That means you will need the service to read content from Bill Barnwell, Zach Lowe, Matthew Berry, Jackie MacMullan, Jeff Passan, Malika Andrews, Kevin Arnovitz, Stephania Bell, Michael Collins, Bill Connelly, Heather Dinich, Kirk Goldsberry, Alden Gonzalez, Dan Graziano, Baxter Holmes, Dave Schoenfield, Kevin Seifert, Ramona Shelburne, Andre Snellings, Wright Thompson, Seth Wickersham, Brian Windhorst, and Greg Wyshynski.

6. But seriously, live sports

Really, though, the main reason anyone should want ESPN+ is for the live sports. As a hockey fan, it’s almost a must-buy at this point, as you’ll be able to watch just about every hockey game that’s not on national television.

For fans of other daily sports like soccer, and baseball, it’s a great value to be able to watch games from any device. Lastly, for fans of overseas sports like cricket and rugby, ESPN+ gives you a nice, safe spot to watch all your favorite sports from back home (that doesn’t involve you finding a seedy streaming site that may or may not lead to your social security number getting stolen.)

One more thing…

You can also save money by bundling ESPN+, Hulu, and Disney+. At just $13.99 each month, you get all the bonuses of having ESPN+, as well as Hulu and Disney+’s on-demand streaming content at a nice price.

Jeff Kotuby
Jeff Kotuby is a contributing writer to The Streamable who specializes in sports, music, and all things Japanese media. He cut the cord in 2017 and has spent the last six years of his career writing for technology, entertainment, and healthcare websites. He's a lifelong Philadelphia Eagles and Anaheim Ducks fan, but also enjoys watching animated shows from the '90s.
Read full bio ›
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