The Disney Plus app will soon have a tile dedicated to ESPN Plus. Disney announced the news as part of its earnings results released on Tuesday and says the integration will become available by the end of this year.
ESPN is coming to the Disney Plus app
Starting later this year, all Disney Plus subscribers in the US will get access to ‘select’ live games on ESPN.
Starting later this year, all Disney Plus subscribers in the US will get access to ‘select’ live games on ESPN.
Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge
is a news writer who covers the streaming wars, consumer tech, crypto, social media, and much more. Previously, she was a writer and editor at MUO.
During the company’s earnings call, Disney CEO Bob Iger said the ESPN tile will give all subscribers in the US access to “select” live games and studio programming. “I see this as a first step to bringing ESPN to Disney Plus viewers as we ready the launch of our enhanced standalone ESPN streaming service in the fall of 2025,” Iger said.
In March, Disney added Hulu to its Disney Plus app, and it even changed the look of its logo to hint at the newly combined services. Unlike the Hulu integration, you don’t have to be a bundle subscriber to gain access to a limited selection of ESPN games through Disney Plus. But if you are a bundle subscriber, you’ll get to watch the full slate of content offered by ESPN Plus through the tile.
The ESPN integration is a natural step for Disney, which is getting closer to achieving profitability in streaming. This quarter, Disney Plus and Hulu posted a $47 million profit, while ESPN Plus fell behind with losses of $65 million. The company will likely use the ESPN integration as a way to draw more subscribers to ESPN Plus and, soon, its standalone streaming service.
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