ESPN Launches Standalone Streaming Service and Enhanced App at $29.99/Month

The introduction of a direct-to-consumer ESPN service at a premium price point accelerates the unbundling of traditional sports content, directly targeting cord-cutters and those seeking comprehensive sports access. This move intensifies competition within the rapidly evolving live sports streaming landscape, particularly against new services from Comcast and DirecTV. The success of ESPN's strategy, especially its ability to integrate new content deals and advanced app features while navigating existing pay TV relationships, will indicate the viability of premium single-sport streaming offerings.

Six months post-launch of its direct-to-consumer offerings (ESPN Select and ESPN Unlimited), ESPN is focusing on subscriber activation, engagement, and retention across its new streaming ecosystem, as noted by Disney (February 2026). While specific subscriber numbers for the new services have not been released, early Antenna Data (December 2025) estimated 2.1 million sign-ups for either ESPN Select (43%) or ESPN Unlimited (57%) in the first month, excluding cable subscribers. The company is actively working to migrate its approximately 25 million existing ESPN+ subscribers to the more comprehensive ESPN Unlimited plan (Sportico, January 2026).

ESPN has also expanded its international reach, making ESPN programming available on Disney+ in over 50 countries across Europe and Asia-Pacific, bringing the total to around 100 markets (Deadline, April 2026). Domestically, the ESPN app continues to evolve with enhanced interactivity. Features like StreamCenter, which connects mobile and TV experiences, have engaged nearly 2.5 million users, driving 365 million video minutes watched, per Disney (May 2026). Multiview has also seen significant usage, with 3.8 million fans utilizing it across more than 12,000 viewing combinations. Separately, The CW Network and ESPN announced a partnership where CW Sports live events will also stream exclusively on the ESPN App for ESPN Unlimited plan subscribers starting Summer 2026, further expanding ESPN's content offerings with college sports, NASCAR, and WWE NXT among others (ESPN Press Room U.S., April 2026).