Is ESPN+ going to shut down now that an ESPN streamer is coming?
Is ESPN+ going to shut down now that an ESPN streamer is coming?
The new ESPN streaming service’s select plan looks awfully similar to ESPN+.
The world of streaming can be a complicated one. With new streamers launching, old streamers changing their names, and other streamers overhauling their menus, cord-cutters could be forgiven for being more than a little bit confused as to what is happening with their favorite services. This week, Disney revealed the first few details of its forthcoming standalone sports streamer. And while the House of Mouse didn’t exactly get creative by naming the service simply ESPN, the announcement did lead to some questions about exactly what will happen with its already active sports streamer ESPN+.
Key Details:
- What’s in a name?: ESPN will launch a new streaming service this fall simply called ESPN.
- Everything everywhere all at once: The new platform will stream all of the sports offerings from the worldwide leader in sports.
- Is ESPN+ being mothballed?: The streamer’s select plan looks very similar to ESPN+, which has made some people wonder if ESPN+ will cease to exist.
When ESPN announced plans for its forthcoming self-titled streaming service on Tuesday, the worldwide leader in sports revealed that it will launch ahead of the college football and NFL seasons this fall. It also revealed that the full service will cost $30 per month and will include access to all of the sports programming currently found across the full complement of ESPN networks, including what had previously only been available on ESPN+.
However, this ESPN unlimited plan was not the only subscription option announced. The service will also offer a select plan that will run $12 monthly ($1 more than ESPN+ currently costs), and will essentially offer only the content currently exclusively found on ESPN+. The company also announced that current ESPN+ subscribers will automatically transition into subscribers of the new ESPN service at launch.
While that all seems fairly seamless and straightforward, what does it mean for ESPN+? Is the streamer essentially being rolled into the larger ESPN service? Will ESPN+ cease to exist altogether? Will you still be able to subscribe to ESPN+ on its own?
“All standalone ESPN+ subscribers will become ESPN select subscribers,” ESPN senior director of communications Kevin Ota told The Streamable. “In terms of access to content, there will be no substantive differences between the two. ESPN+ will remain a platform/channel – akin to our other channels like ESPN, ESPN2, etc. – on which we deliver live games, on-demand replays, originals, etc.”
While the official company line from ESPN does clarify some things, it does still leave some questions unanswered. Of course, that might simply be because the streamer isn’t set to launch for another two or three months, and some of the mechanics for how things will work haven’t yet been finalized. Nonetheless, it appears that ESPN+ will live on in one form or another, morphing into another channel akin to the company’s cable offerings.
Part of Disney’s resistance to completely dissolve ESPN+ into the new streamer is likely a matter of contracts. According to Front Office Sports, since ESPN signed deals with various domestic and international leagues to specifically air games and matches on ESPN+, the broadcaster either needs to keep that brand active or renegotiate deals to have them air on the upcoming ESPN streamer; it is obviously much easier (and cost-efficient) to maintain the status quo in some form or fashion.
While the public is not privy to the details of those contracts, it does raise the possibility that when they eventually all expire, ESPN could quietly mothball the ESPN+ brand and steer future rights deals to the larger streamer. However, for the time being, ESPN+ is still alive, although its content will almost uniformly also be available on ESPN’s complete service.
ESPN Select
ESPN Select is a streaming service that replaced ESPN+ and provides access to live NHL, MLB, and MLS games, PGA Tour Golf, international sports events, ESPN original programming, and a complete archive of “30 for 30.” Find out our review of the service and how to start streaming ESPN Select.