Disney CEO Bob Iger, shared today that ESPN+ has reached 2 million paid subscribers in just 10 months since the service launched last April. The service has doubled since September when the company announced that their OTT had reached 1 million subscribers — some of which was attributed to the migration of ESPN Insider customers to ESPN+ subscribers.
Much of the growth seems attributed to the addition of UFC to ESPN+ which premiered in January. After 7 years with Fox, UFC signed a $150 million per year rights deal with ESPN to air events on their linear channel and streaming service.
ESPN’s inaugural UFC Fight Night on ESPN+ drove 568,000 new subscribers to the service. While many of those were on a 7-Day Free Trial, it is not known how many of those converted to paid accounts.
Fans can subscribe to ESPN+ for $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year and includes live and on demand sports programming.
In addition to UFC, ESPN’s direct-to-consumer OTT streaming service includes access to daily out-of-market NHL, MLB, MLS games, international soccer coverage, college sports, original shows, and the entire library of 30 for 30 content. You can read our full review of the service here.
The service is compatible with most major streaming players including Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku, Android TV, gaming devices like PS4 and Xbox One, mobile devices on iOS, Android, and most major browsers.
Current ESPN+ Streaming Lineup
Live Sports
MLB & NHL
ESPN+ brings fans hundreds of live games every year from the MLB and NHL. The inaugural NHL on ESPN+ season begins October 3rd and will include more than 180 live games, averaging seven games per week during the regular season. Since launch, ESPN+ has featured MLB action daily – more than 180 MLB games by the close of the regular season this month.
Global Soccer
ESPN+ is home to hundreds of soccer matches from around the globe, including being the exclusive streaming home in the U.S. for MLS LIVE (more than 250 games), Italy’s Serie A TIM (more than 340 Italian soccer matches per year, including Cristiano Ronaldo’s recent debut with Juventus) and England’s FA Cup. The ESPN+ soccer lineup also includes UEFA Nations League, English Football League (EFL Championship, League 1, League 2 and Carabao Cup), United Soccer League (USL) and more.
Top Rank Boxing and UFC
Thanks to a comprehensive agreement with Top Rank, ESPN+ has become a boxing destination showcasing top U.S. and international championship fights, as well as comprehensive coverage of up-and-coming prospects and contenders. Additionally, starting in January 2019, ESPN+ will offer 30 Fight Nights, of which 20 are exclusive to the service as a result of a multi-year agreement between DTCI and the UFC.
College Football
College football kicked off last month with more than 200 games from over a dozen conferences, including the Big South, Conference USA, the Ivy League, Sun Belt, Mid-American Conference and many others. College football leads a lineup of thousands of college sports events throughout the year on ESPN+, including basketball, soccer, volleyball, lacrosse and more.
Grand Slam Tennis
ESPN+ brings fans hundreds of tennis matches from three of the major events from the tennis schedule, The US Open, Wimbledon and The Australian Open.
More Live Sports
ESPN+ also offers fans international rugby and cricket, FIBA basketball, lacrosse, Little League World Series, esports (including League of Legends) and more.
Original Series
30 for 30 Documentaries
ESPN+ is also home to a library of high-quality original programming like the new 30 for 30 documentary, “Seau” (directed by Kirby Bradley). Original series like “Earn Everything” about Duke Basketball, “NBA: Year One”, “Draft Academy” and “Quest for The Stanley Cup”; the entire 30 For 30 library and more.
Original Studio Programs
Original studio programs like “Always Late with Katie Nolan”, “Detail” from Kobe Bryant, “The Fantasy Show with Mathew Berry”, “ESPN FC”, “In The Crease”, “Ariel and the Bad Guy” with Ariel Helwan