Add Disney+ to the growing number of streaming services planning to broadcast live sports.
Disney CEO Bob Iger said in an earnings call on Tuesday. the mandalorian And Disney's classic movies are expected to add content from ESPN, including live events, by the end of the year.
“By the end of this year, we plan to add the ESPN tile to Disney+, giving all U.S. subscribers access to select live games and studio programming within the Disney+ app,” Iger said. “We believe this is the first step in bringing ESPN to Disney+ viewers as we prepare to launch an enhanced standalone ESPN streaming service in fall 2025.”
Details are still unclear, but Iger said only a “modest” amount of ESPN programming will be available on the flagship streaming service, and that it will likely steer subscribers to paid ESPN options. Disney+ added some Hulu programming earlier this year, giving the service its first profitable quarter in the first three months of the year. Disney+ brought the company his $47 million.
Disney has a lot of live sports options. The company is in the process of finalizing agreements with Fox Sports and Warner Bros. Discovery to launch a sports streaming service that will broadcast NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL games.
Disney isn't the only streaming service to include live sports. Amazon inked a deal with Diamond Sports in January to give Prime Video subscribers access to MLB, NBA and NHL games. The company also plans to stream NFL wild-card playoff games next year.
Meanwhile, Apple is spending a lot of money on Major League Soccer and MLB games. And streaming service Max last year announced plans to offer subscribers access to live sporting events for a limited time. Users who choose the add-on His package in combination with Bleacher Report will pay an additional fee of $ 10 per month. The package includes games from MLB, NHL, NBA, NCAA Men's March Madness, US Soccer, and more.
Live sports are considered can't-miss shows, drawing viewers to streaming services and potentially making them stick around.
