After launching Hulu on Disney Plus in March for US subscribers, Disney will roll out its ESPN hub on the streaming service on Dec. 4, CEO Bob Iger shared during the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call on Thursday. He initially announced the news about adding ESPN content to Disney Plus during Disney’s second-quarter earnings call in May.
“By the end of this calendar year, we will be adding an ESPN tile to Disney Plus, giving all US subscribers access to select live games and studio programming within the Disney Plus app,” Iger said. “We 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.”
The rollout of Hulu titles on the Disney Plus app brought a dedicated hub for the platform as well as Hulu content that surfaces on the home screen. You’ll need to have a Disney bundle or have standalone subscriptions for both streaming services in order to access Hulu on Disney Plus. The ESPN tile will function in a similar way, but the selection of content will be smaller.
During the May earnings call, Iger said the ESPN tile “will have a modest amount of programming. But it’s a start in terms of essentially conditioning the audience, or subscribers to Disney Plus and Hulu, to the fact that sports is going to be there. And it also will help us in terms of overall engagement with our bundle.” He also said that “our current plan is … if you’re an ESPN Plus subscriber, you’ll be able to get ESPN Plus through that tile.”
The debut of ESPN on Disney Plus arrives after new price increases in October across its array of streaming platforms. Rates increased for Hulu, Disney Plus, ESPN Plus and Hulu with Live TV. Monthly pricing for Disney bundle offerings also went up.
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In addition to the ESPN tile on Disney Plus, the company is gearing up for the launch of its standalone ESPN service, due in the fall next year. The Venu Sports streaming venture, a collaboration between Disney, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery, has been shelved due to an injunction issued in August. The platform was supposed to roll out this fall. The press release announcing ESPN’s partnership with Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery mentioned that there would be bundles that tie that new sports service with Disney Plus and Hulu, as well as with Warner Bros. Discovery’s Max.
During the spring earnings call, Iger said that “as I look ahead, I think ESPN is going to make a pivot toward digital, but without abandoning linear. So it will remain on linear. If people want to get ESPN and its different channels through a cable or satellite subscription, that’s fine.”
Iger said there will “be many different access points to get the digital product” if subscribers want to pivot.
