Disney plans to make it easy to get its new ESPN streaming service.
During an investor call, Disney CEO Bob Iger revealed that the upcoming "ESPN Flagship" will be available to more than just those who sign up for it (h/t Variety).
"If you are a subscriber of linear ESPN, you will automatically get what I know we’ve been referring to as ESPN Flagship," Iger told investors.
"The plan would be to basically be somewhat agnostic from a subscriber perspective, so that we can still do our best to preserve the multi-channel ecosystem, but at the same time, we obviously want to grow our DTC business."
Translation: If you have ESPN with your cable package, you'll automatically get access to this new streaming service.
We don't know official details beyond this yet, but I imagine it will be similar to how you connect your provider to log into Max or Paramount Plus With Showtime if you get those through your cable provider.
I also imagine this will apply to those who cut the cord with one of the best live TV streaming services, provided your plan includes ESPN.
For example, I have ESPN through YouTube TV. So in theory, I should get access to ESPN's flagship service based on Iger's comments.
We'll know more for sure next week, when Disney plans to unveil the official name and official price for the ESPN streaming service, which is set to become available for subscription this fall.
This is a smart move by ESPN and Disney — everybody wins
This decision seemingly confirms that Disney is aware that the new ESPN flagship streaming service could cannibalize its cable TV customer base. Getting around that issue by giving those same customers access for free is an elegant solution to that problem.
It's also one where, at least for now, everybody wins.
Disney and ESPN win because now they can include linear TV subscribers when calculating the user base size. Cable companies win because now, you'll be less incentivized to ditch cable, since you'll get access to the service through cable without needing to pay anything extra.
Finally, you, the consumer, win because now this gives you more ways to access the flagship's interactive features.
Iger said in the investor call that ESPN's cable TV offering “will not have the bells and whistles and those additional features that the DTC service will have. Again, that service will have many more features than the linear service will have.”
But now, you get access to those features, including sports betting (where allowed by law) and fantasy sports, because you'll get access to ESPN's streaming service through your cable TV provider or (theoretically) your live TV streaming service.
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.
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