It has long been in Disney’s plans to make ESPN TV channels available on an independent streaming service. Now, it appears that the company has begun the work of decoupling channels from cable TV providers to offer ESPN directly to “defectors” of this type of service (at least in the United States).
The Wall Street Journal reported that Disney has begun laying the groundwork for this transition. The company is in talks with cable TV providers and sports leagues. However, it hasn’t yet set a schedule for ESPN’s standalone streaming service, which could take years to get off the ground.
Disney and ESPN
ESPN is one of the crown jewels of cable TV in the United States. So much so that it will still be available on mainstream television platforms, even after Disney launches a streaming service, as reported by the Wall Street Journal.
Disney debuted on ESPN+ in 2018. While the service features MLB (National Baseball League), NHL (National Hockey League), and NFL (National Football League) games — broadcast exclusively for the first time last season — it has no TV channels ESPN.
Thus, Disney hopes to bring the matchups that ESPN brings (including NBA and NFL games) to the streaming world outside the confines of services like YouTube TV and Sling.
It is worth mentioning that sports streaming rights are extremely valuable between traditional broadcasters and technology companies. Apple has acquired some rights to MLB and Major League Soccer, while YouTube will host the NFL Sunday Ticket starting next season, for example.
catalog releases
Speaking of streaming Disney, Disney+ and Hulu will lose more than 50 titles – among them, series, films and specials that have become obsolete and expensive for the company (see the complete list).
Saida keeps his promise during the earnings presentation, held on May 10th. The change is part of a cost-cutting strategy set out after a content loss of US$1.5 billion (approximately R$7.5 billion, at current prices) to US$1.8 billion (R$9 billion) .
It’s worth mentioning that Disney is just one of many companies that has called cost-cutting a strategy, even joining the list of major tech companies that have made major layoffs (seven thousand in all). In the field of streaming, HBO Max (now just Max) also announced the removal of content in 2022, focusing on canceled content.
With information from The Wall Street Journal
The Disney post sets the stage for launching ESPN streaming that first appeared on Olhar Digital.
Source: Olhar Digital
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
