ESPN said Tuesday that its new all-encompassing streaming service will take on a familiar name — ESPN — and launch in September at an initial price of $29.99 per month.
The service will enable consumers to view all of ESPN’s various networks, including ones devoted to the SEC, Big 10 and ACC college leagues, as well as content from the current ESPN+ streaming service, which will be folded in to the new product.
The network also promised enhancements to its ESPN app for mobile devices, including using artificial intelligence to create a personalized “SportsCenter” for consumers that concentrates on news and highlights for their favorite teams, sports and athletes.
September will represent a big moment for ESPN on par with the cable sports network’s launch in 1979, the introduction of ESPN2 in 1993 and launch of the ESPN.com website two years later, said Jimmy Pitaro, ESPN chairman. The exact date it will become available will be announced later.
It’s also a pivotal development in the accelerating industry shift from television to streaming. ESPN and its sister channels will remain available on cable and satellite systems.
After kicking around several ideas for what to call the service, which was known informally as “Flagship” during the developmental stages, Pitaro said executives decided to keep it simple.
“There’s power in our name and there’s trust in our name,” he said.
All live events shown on ESPN networks, along with sports shown on broadcast sister ABC-TV, will be available through the streaming service.
So will its other programming, like “SportsCenter”, “Pardon the Interruption,” “First Take,” “The Pat McAfee Show,” “NFL Live” and original films. ESPN announced Tuesday that a former network personality, Rich Eisen, will bring his daily program to ESPN even as he continues to work at the NFL Network.
ESPN’s streaming service will be available for $299.99 per year. The Disney-owned network said it will also allow people to bundle ESPN along with Hulu and Disney+ for $35.99 a month — or $29.99 a month for the first year.
Although consumers will be able to buy the more limited slate of programming available now on ESPN+ for $11.99 a month, Pitaro said ESPN decided against offering other lower-cost alternatives containing some, but not all, of the company’s various services. It would be too confusing for consumers, he said.
Pitaro said ESPN remains open to other acquisitions or partnerships to build programming. That includes potentially taking on some struggling regional sports networks that show baseball, even though ESPN decided earlier this year to opt out of the final three years of its contract to show Major League Baseball at the end of this season.
“When the league is ready to have a conversation, we are ready to listen,” Pitaro said.
