[April 02, 2018] |
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ESPN+ to Launch April 12, Bringing Sports Fans More Live Sports, Exclusive Originals and On-Demand Library - All for $4.99 Per Month
ESPN+, the upcoming direct-to-consumer subscription streaming service
from Disney (News - Alert) Direct-to-Consumer and International in partnership with
ESPN and featuring ESPN branded content, will launch on April 12 and
offer fans a dynamic lineup of live sports, original content and an
unmatched library of award-winning on-demand programming - all for a
subscription price of $4.99 per month.
ESPN+ will be an integrated part of a completely redesigned and
reimagined ESPN App that will be the premier all-in-one digital sports
platform for fans. ESPN+ will also be available through ESPN.com. The
new ESPN App and ESPN+ showcase the culture of breakthrough innovation
at ESPN and across The Walt Disney Company.
James Pitaro,
ESPN President and Co-Chair, Disney Media Networks, said, "ESPN was
built on a belief in innovation and the powerful connection between
sports and a remarkable array of fans. That same belief is at the heart
of ESPN+ and the new ESPN App. With ESPN+, fans have access
to thousands more live games, world class original programs and
on-demand sports content, all at a great price. They will get all of
that as a part of a completely re-imagined, increasingly
personalized ESPN App that provides easy, one-stop access to everything
ESPN offers."
ESPN+ is the first direct-to-consumer service offering from Disney
Direct-to-Consumer and International, the multiplatform media,
technology and distribution organization for high-quality content
created by Disney's Media Networks and Studio Entertainment groups. A
Disney-branded direct-to-consumer service, offering
subscription-video-on-demand viewing of Disney, Pixar, Marvel and
Lucasfilm movies along with a host of exclusive content, will launch in
late 2019. Both streaming services are powered by BAMTECH, a unit of
Disney Direct-to-Consumer and International.
Kevin
Mayer, Chairman, Direct-to-Consumer and International, The
Walt Disney Company said, "The launch of ESPN+ marks the beginning
of an exciting new era of innovation for our media businesses - one
defined by an increasingly direct and personal relationship with
consumers. This new product reflects our direct-to-consumer strategy
focused on combining our beloved brands with our proprietary,
industry-leading technology to give users unparalleled access to our
world-class content."
The ESPN+ programming lineup will offer sports fans great value, with
four key pillars of content:
1. Thousands of live sports events 2. High-quality
original shows and films 3. Exclusive studio programs 4.
An unmatched on-demand library
Michael
Paull, President, BAMTECH Media, said, "ESPN+ will
connect fans directly to sports they love wherever and whenever they
want. Together, BAMTECH's industry-leading direct-to-consumer video
platform and capabilities combined with ESPN's unmatched sports content
will deliver fans an all-new streaming experience with exciting product
features built for watching incredible live and on-demand sports."
Additional details about the array of content in the ESPN+ programming
lineup will be announced in the coming days and weeks, but among the
thousands of live sports evens that ESPN+ will offer to fans are:
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MLB - MORE THAN 180 GAMES; A GAME PER DAY THROUGHOUT SEASON: ESPN+
will feature an ESPN+ MLB game each day, seven days per week,
throughout the MLB regular season - more than 180 games that will
include every MLB team.*
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NHL - MORE THAN 180 GAMES; GAME OF THE DAY THROUGHOUT REGULAR
SEASON: Beginning with the 2018-19 NHL season, subscribers to
ESPN+ will get a daily NHL game throughout the NHL regular season (in
keeping with the NHL schedule) - more than 180 hockey games.*
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BOXING - YEAR-ROUND SCHEDULE, INCLUDES EXCLUSIVE KHAN VS. LO GRECO
BOUT: ESPN+ is a key part of ESPN's multi-platform Top Rank
Boxing on ESPN boxing agreement and will feature high-quality
boxing throughout the year, including a selection of exclusive main
event fights beginning with the April 21 Amir Khan vs. Phil Lo Greco
bout in Liverpool, England. In addition, ESPN+ will feature undercard
fights throughout the year from Top Rank on ESPN events, re-airs of
all Top Rank on ESPN and PPV events and an unmatched library of
legendary fights from the Top Rank and ESPN Big Fights archives.
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MLS - MORE THAN 250 GAMES: At launch, ESPN+ will include
exclusive access for subscribers to the entire MLS Live out-of-market
schedule, featuring more than 250 games,* through their subscription.
Before launch, fans can access free MLS out-of-market games streaming
live on MLSsoccer.com and
the MLS
App. Additionally, ESPN+ will be the exclusive local-market home
for the Chicago Fire, bringing 27 Fire matches to fans in Chicago.
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COLLEGE SPORTS - THOUSANDS OF GAMES AND EVENTS, MULTIPLE SPORTS,
ACROSS NEARLY TWO DOZEN CONFERENCES: The ESPN+ lineup will be rich
with thousands of live college sports events, including football,
basketball, baseball, softball, soccer, track & field, gymnastics,
swimming & diving, lacrosse, wrestling, volleyball, golf and more --
from over a dozen conferences across the country including the America
East, ASun, Big South, Big West, Horizon, Ivy League, MAAC, MAC, MEAC,
Missouri Valley, NEC (News - Alert), Southern Conference, Southland, Summit League,
Sun Belt, WAC and many more.
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SPRING SPORTS
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COLLEGE BASEBALL & SOFTBALL: ESPN+ will help
college baseball and softball fans see more games than ever
before, with hundreds more games from across the college ranks
streamed live, exclusively on ESPN+.
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LACROSSE, TENNIS AND TRACK & FIELD: ESPN+ will
carry dozens of events from across conferences this spring.
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FALL SPORTS
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COLLEGE FOOTBALL: ESPN+ will include hundreds of
college football games each season from across more than a
dozen conferences in the FBS and FCS.
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MEN'S AND WOMEN'S SOCCER, VOLLEYBALL, FIELD HOCKEY: ESPN+
will have hundreds of games this fall from soccer,
volleyball and field hockey as the 2018-19 academic year gets
underway.
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WINTER SPORTS
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COLLEGE BASKETBALL: College hoops fans will get
hundreds of men's and women's games every season on ESPN+ from
all across the college basketball landscape - from division
one powerhouses to top mid-majors to the next tournament
Cinderella and more.
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COLLEGE WRESTLING, SWIMMING & DIVING, GYMNASTICS AND ICE
HOCKEY: Fans of winter Olympic sports will get hundreds of
games from a variety of conference partners nationwide
exclusively on ESPN+.
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PGA TOUR LIVE GOLF - MORE THAN 100 DAYS OF COVERAGE FROM 31 PGA
TOUR EVENTS: Golf fans will be able to follow the PGA TOUR
throughout the year, with more than 100 days of live coverage from 31
PGA TOUR events, including THE PLAYERS Championship, the FedEx Cup
Playoffs, AT&T Byron Nelson, AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Travelers
Championship, Arnold Palmer Invitational and dozens more. Coverage
will include Thursday, Friday and some Saturday and Sunday play during
the events.
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GRAND SLAM TENNIS - HUNDREDS OF TENNIS MATCHES FROM WIMBLEDON, US
OPEN (News - Alert) & AUSTRALIAN OPEN: Tennis fans will have access to more
of the action than ever at three of the annual Grand Slam tennis
events. With hundreds of men's and women's singles and doubles
matches, ESPN+ will be the perfect complement for every passionate
tennis fan.
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RUGBY & CRICKET - HUNDREDS OF MATCHES FROM INTERNATIONAL RUGBY AND
CRICKET: ESPN+ will serve rugby and cricket fans in the U.S. with
more of their beloved sports, throughout the year. Rugby fans will get
matches from SANZAAR (including Super Rugby, The Rugby Championship,
the Lions Series, Mitre10 Cup, Currie Cup, Bledisloe Cup and other
international matches), the HSBC World Rugby Sevens series, and 18
regular-season matches in the inaugural season of Major League Rugby,
the new American professional rugby union league. Meanwhile,
passionate cricket fans across the U.S. will get matches across Test,
ODI and T20 formats from New Zealand Cricket and Cricket Ireland.
In addition to the hundreds of NHL and MLB games included in the ESPN+
subscription ($4.99/month, or $49.99/year), die-hard fans will be able
to purchase the entire MLB.TV out-of-market package via ESPN+ and view
the games within the ESPN App. MLB.TV will cost an additional $24.99 per
month. Beginning with the 2018-19 NHL season, fans will also be able to
purchase the entire NHL.TV out-of-market package.
THE NEW ESPN APP: THE PREMIER, ALL-IN-ONE
DIGITAL SPORTS PLATFORM
The ESPN App is already the number one sports app. With its relaunched
and re-imagined version, it will become the premier digital sports
platform for fans, giving them a rich, increasingly personalized
one-stop digital destination on mobile and digital living room platforms
for all that ESPN offers, including:
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SCORES, NEWS, HIGHLIGHTS: The sports scores, news, video
highlights and clips, features and analysis that fans turn to every
day;
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"TV EVERYWHERE" VIDEO: Authenticated live streaming of ESPN's
eight U.S. networks -- ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, ESPN
Deportes, SEC (News - Alert) Network, Longhorn Network - as well as popular on-demand
programs, accessed anywhere via the user's pay TV subscription;
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ESPN+: Direct-to-consumer subscription streaming access to
thousands of additional live sporting events, original content and
shows, and on-demand video library;
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ESPN AUDIO - LIVE AND ON (News - Alert) DEMAND: The leading library of sports
audio content, including live ESPN Radio streaming and a lineup of top
sports podcasts.
More details about ESPN+ and the redesigned ESPN App - including further
details about live sports, original and on-demand programming and more -
will be announced ahead of launch.
NOTE: Correct reference is "ESPN+" not "ESPN Plus". ESPN+ logos
available to download here.
* Blackouts apply
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180402005539/en/
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