If you missed it, ESPN is officially going to be a streaming service.
No, I'm not talking about ESPN Plus, I'm talking about an ESPN streaming service named — get this — ESPN.
To make things confusing, ESPN Plus will still exist and you'll get it included with an ESPN streaming service subscription. You'll also be able to get ESPN Plus through an ESPN "Select" plan.
But forget all that. I'm here to tell you that it's the ESPN streaming service that matters, because it has a real chance to dethrone Netflix and cable as the best way to watch live sports, shows and movies.
Disney's ESPN streaming bundles are incredible
First, let's quickly recap what comes with ESPN streaming, which will cost $29.99 a month.
- ESPN
- ESPN2
- ESPN3
- ESPNU
- ESPNews
- ESPN Deportes
- SEC Network Plus
- Longhorn Network
- ACC Network Extra
- ESPN Goal Line
- ESPN Bases Loaded
- ESPN Plus content
This plan instantly becomes the cheapest way to watch ESPN, beating out Sling Orange and DirecTV MySports.
But it's when you bundle ESPN with Disney Plus and Hulu that you get real value.
For $35.99 a month, you get everything listed above, plus Hulu with ads and Disney Plus with ads. Sign up with the streaming service bundle's introductory offer, and you get it for just $29.99 a month for 12 months.
That gives you a stable of content on par with a live TV streaming service for significantly less. Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, Hulu exclusives, network television shows, FX shows like "Shogun" and "The Bear — you get the idea.
In short, it's an incredible roster of shows, movies and sports that's almost unbeatable. But almost is the key word there, because there's still one bundle that might arguably be better.
Can the ESPN/Disney bundle beat the HBO Max/Disney bundle?
As good as ESPN with Disney Plus and Hulu is, it might not be as good as Max (now called HBO Max, again) with Disney Plus and Hulu.
Now, when setting aside price, which bundle you prefer is subjective. ESPN's bundle will give you a better selection of live sports, especially with HBO Max bailing on the NBA — which will now be on Peacock and Prime Video instead.
However, the Max bundle undeniably gives you better shows and movies, and it still gives you some live sports.
Throw price into the equation, though, and you may be swayed away from ESPN's bundle and opt for the Max bundle instead. Because the Max bundle is just $16.99 a month — nearly half the price of the ESPN bundle.
So we'll ultimately have to wait and see if ESPN's bundle can dethrone cable or Netflix, which at just $7.99 a month with ads also gives you live sports, shows and movies for much less than $35.99 a month (albeit offering an inferior selection of all three, for the most part).
It still remains to be seen if the ESPN bundle can even dethrone Disney's existing Max bundle when it comes to cutting the cord.
Malcolm has been with Tom's Guide since 2022, and has been covering the latest in streaming shows and movies since 2023. He's not one to shy away from a hot take, including that "John Wick" is one of the four greatest films ever made.
Here's what he's been watching lately:
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