On the society quarterly results call Today, Disney CEO Bob Iger said the previously announced standalone ESPN streaming service would arrive by fall 2025. The company had already tipped the servicewhich Iger said will offer “the full suite” of ESPN networks as a streaming option, but no general launch date or additional details have been revealed.
Iger said the standalone ESPN offering would serve live games and studio programming currently available on a host of cable channels. Additionally, the service will provide access to ESPN Bet and fantasy sports as well as detailed statistics and purchases. Of course, all of this will also include “robust customization,” according to Iger.
These new details come a day after Disney announced it would team up with Fox and Warner Brothers Discovery on a combined sports streaming service this autumn. The yet-to-be-named option will include NFL, MLB, NHL and NBA games via channels including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SECN, ACCN, ESPNEWS, ABC, FOX, FS1, FS2, BTN, TNT, TBS, truTV and ESPN. There's no word yet on pricing, but subscribers will be able to bundle it with their existing Disney+, Hulu, and Max subscriptions. This means you'll actually be able to stream the ESPN networks without cable or other live TV subscriptions before Disney's standalone service launches. However, the combined effort will certainly be more expensive because it bundles all those additional channels from Fox and Warner Brothers Discovery.
Disney already offers ESPN+ as an alternative to cable. The service offers live streaming of games, but it does not provide access to the action as it is broadcast on the ESPN networks. This is why ESPN+ came to complement the cable channels, but Disney has not yet clarified how its services will exist after the fall of next year.
Standalone ESPN will also be available on Disney+ for bundle subscribers, just like the company did with Hulu. No word on pricing for the new iteration of ESPN yet either, but Disney also has plenty of time to promote the service between now and fall 2025. Iger said the price “would be more attractive ” than the typical cable package.