Disney Shares Major Update on NEW Streaming Service

Sports fans are about to enter a whole new world of streaming.

©ESPN

The Walt Disney Company held one of its quarterly earnings calls on February 7th, 2024, and provided some HUGE updates about various parts of the business. One of the hot topics going into the earnings call was ESPN. During the last quarterly earnings call, Iger noted that he had big plans in store for ESPN and now we’re finding out more about what those plans are.

In the Q4 earnings call for 2023, Bob Iger spoke about focusing on “four key building opportunities” for The Walt Disney Company “that will be central to [its] success.” One of those key points was a big push for ESPN’s growth as a brand — “Building ESPN into the preeminent digital sports platform.”

©Disney

Disney previously shared that they were looking at “taking ESPN, which is already the world’s leading sports brand, and turning it into the preeminent digital sports platform, allowing us to reach fans in compelling new ways and fully integrating key features into our primary ESPN offering.” Sounds exciting, right? So what does The Walt Disney Company Have in store for ESPN over the next few months and years?

ESPN Wide World of Sports

Well, Disney has recently announced that it is teaming up with Fox and Warner Bros. to build a NEW sports-focused streaming service. The sports streaming service will be available to ESPN+, Hulu, and Max subscribers. Each of the three companies will have equal ownership (one-third) of the platform.

©Warner Bros.

During the Q1 earnings call for Fiscal year 2024, Bog Iger stated that ESPN’s domestic sports business continues to grow. He also went on to emphasize that the sports-based platform continues to break records in ratings — even in a challenging linear landscape.

©ESPN

Another thing sports fans can experience is ESPN Bet, the official sportsbook of ESPN. This program debuted late last year. ESPN Bet is owned and operated by PENN Entertainment, Inc. and is available in states where PENN is licensed to offer sports wagering.

©ESPN

However, in Fall 2025, the full suite of ESPN’s channels will be a standalone and interactive streaming service. ESPN Bet and Fantasy Sports will be integrated with shopping and special personalization features. This service will be available on Disney+ for bundle subscribers.

Bob Iger also dropped the news that Nick Saban is joining ESPN as a commentator later this year.

We’ll continue to watch for all the changes and growth at ESPN so stay tuned for more news.