• Loading stock data...
Saturday, July 19, 2025

ESPN Gets Prime Real Estate on Disney+. What’s Included?

ESPN+ was already part of a streaming bundle with Disney+. Now sports content will be featured as part of the larger general entertainment offering.

ESPN

While much of the media industry continues to splinter and shrink, ESPN is getting a major boost in the streaming realm.

Beginning Wednesday, content from the sports media giant will have its own featured tile on sister corporate entity Disney+. Long planned by the company, ESPN+ programming will be featured alongside other core Disney general entertainment properties including Pixar, Marvel, and Star Wars.

The move also puts ESPN content in front of tens of millions of additional subscribers on one of the world’s largest streaming services. While not at the scale of Netflix, Disney+ held 122.7 million global subscribers as of Sept. 28—the end of Disney’s fiscal fourth quarter—nearly five times the 25.6 million for ESPN+. That larger group within Disney+ also likely includes many non-avid sports fans, and in turn a growth opportunity for ESPN and Disney.

“This launch is really going to reshape what Disney+ is, who it’s for, and what we have to offer. But it also marks the next step in streaming for the future of ESPN,” said Disney+ president Alisa Bowen.

Always Be Closing

There’s also a clear upsell motive in the ESPN tile strategy, as subscribers to the Disney streaming bundle of Disney+, ESPN+, and Hulu will have a deep breadth of ESPN+ content available from Disney+. Subscribers to Disney+ alone, however, will only receive a small portion of ESPN+ material, and the rest will redirect toward pages for package upgrades.

Those limited offerings for non-bundle subscribers, however, lean in part toward sports-related animated programming such as the Dec. 9 Monday Night Football integration with The Simpsons and the Mickey Mouse–themed “Dunk the Halls” effort for an NBA game on Christmas Day.

“Part of the design is to try to stimulate engagement and interest in sports to a casual fan that might not otherwise come to ESPN in their normal media behaviors,” said John Lasker, ESPN+ SVP. “So it’s not creating an alternative to ESPN or ESPN+, but more of an extended reach opportunity.”

Disney+ implemented a similar tile for Hulu back in March.

Flagship Learnings

The ESPN tile on Disney+, meanwhile, precedes by roughly eight months the anticipated debut of the direct-to-consumer version of ESPN, widely termed as Flagship. There’s been no shortage of hype surrounding that project, with Disney CEO Bob Iger recently saying it will be “the best product the consumer has ever seen in sports,” and ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro describing it as a distillation of all the network’s various offerings and capabilities.

The heightened integration with Disney+ will likely aid in that development effort by supplying additional data about user consumption patterns, particularly those who are not ardent sports fans.

“We’re very excited to figure out what the increased audience opportunity is here, which we believe is pretty great,” Lasker said. “This will teach us a lot.”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

exclusive

Bill Belichick UNC Series Heading to Hulu After ‘Hard Knocks’ Breakdown

The series lands at Hulu after a deal with HBO fell through.

Barstool-Fox Deal Shows NFL’s Portnoy Cold War Is Thawing

The Barstool-Fox alliance is a signal of how times have changed.

ESPN Bidding Against NBC, Apple for MLB Rights Package

The league continues to negotiate with multiple media-rights bidders.

Featured Today

Ryan Field Construction
exclusive

First Look Inside Northwestern’s $862 Million New Ryan Field

Five big things FOS learned on our exclusive stadium tour.
Jul 21, 2024; Ayrshire, SCT; Xander Schauffele celebrates with Claret Jug after winning the Open Championship golf tournament at Royal Troon.
July 17, 2025

The Boozy History and Traditions of The Open’s Claret Jug

The Open awards the world’s most famous wine decanter.
2025 PDC World Darts Championship Final - Luke Littler vs Michael Van Gerwen
July 16, 2025

A Teen Darts Prodigy Is Becoming Bigger Than the Game Itself

Luke ‘The Nuke’ Littler is cashing in on his devastatingly accurate shot.
May 31, 2025; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Sydney McLaughin-Levrone (USA) reacts before the women's 100m hurdles during the Grand Slam Track Philadelphia at Franklin Field
exclusive
July 13, 2025

Track’s New Money Is Running Into Old Problems

The sport’s big-money era has hit some speed bumps in 2025.

Netflix Beats Projections Again—and Plots Big Holiday Sports Slate

The streaming giant again beats analyst projections in every respect.
July 15, 2025

MLB Home Run Derby Draws 5.7M Viewers on ESPN, Up 5%

ESPN reverses the trend from last year and registers audience growth.
Jul 15, 2025; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; National League designated hitter Kyle Schwarber (12) of the Philadelphia Phillies hits a home run in the swing off of after the 2025 MLB All Star Game ended in a tie at Truist Park.
July 16, 2025

MLB All-Star Game Viewership Dips Despite Historic Swing-Off

Game viewership falls 3% despite late dramatics in the unique tiebreaker.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

Dealmaker Jeffrey Kaplan maps the evolution of sports as an asset class
July 15, 2025

WNBA Hits Fourth-Highest ABC Viewership With Clark-Bueckers Duel

Clark missed the first Fever vs. Wings game with an injury.
Brittney Griner and Caitlin Clark
exclusive
July 15, 2025

‘Good Morning America’ Will Air From WNBA All-Star in First

The All-Star Game’s relevance has exploded with the league in recent years.
NBC Sports
exclusive
July 14, 2025

NBC Hiring Ex-Hawks Exec Grant Liffmann As NBA Front Office Insider

Liffmann spent the last three years with Atlanta after covering the Warriors.
F1
July 11, 2025

F1 ‘Poised’ to Choose Apple Money Over ESPN Reach

Formula One looks to be changing lanes.