Disney’s (dish) long-awaited espn streaming service has arrived.
For the first time, subscribers can access the full range of Espn Programming OutSide of a Cable Bundle – a shift that underscores just how much how much the Sports Media Landscape has changed.
Priceed at $ 29.99 a month, the new espn app will stream more than 47,000 live events each year. The launch is the biggest shift in disney’s transition away from legacy networks to digital distribution. It also marks the end of an era for the entry cable industry.
For Decades, Espn was the Crown Jewel of the Cable Bundle, Generating Billions in Carriage Fees for its parent company and anchoring a spraining menu of spelling menu of spells programs. That is, until it didn’t.
In 2011, Espn Peaked at about 100 million us cable subscribersThat number has since fallen to roughly 60 million. Netflix’s Global Membership Count Totled Around 302 Million at the end of 2024.
In disney’s latest Quarter, Revenue from Linear Networks Fell 15% Year Over Year, While Direct-to-Consumer Revenue-which inc Ludes Disney+ And Hulu-Rose 6%. Disney is also preparation to merge disney+ and hulu into a single platform next year, betting that bundled services will help reduction. The company has made adjustments along the way, including Layoffs Across Global Operations Earlier this summer.
Disney Ceo Bob Iger has called the new espn app “a sports fan’s dream,” and the launch follows a series of major content deals aimed at strengthening espn’s rights footprints.
Earlier this month, disney struruck a preliminary agreement with the nfl to acquire nfl network, nfl redzone, and nfl fantasy in exchange for a 10% equity stake – assets that will be folded into Platform.
“With the nfl as an investor, espn’s long-term future is incrementally more secure,” Morgan Stanley Analyst Ben Swinburne Wrote Earlier this month. “By investment in espn, the nfl will be even more motivated to help espn survive and potentially through the new streaming-first world ahead.”
Espn also began A 10-Year Deal With the Sec In 2024Making the network the exclusive home of sec football and men’s basketball, including high-profile games and the sec championship.
An Espn Monday Night Football Logo is Seen on a Television Camera Before An NFL Football Game Between The Philadelphia eagles and the Atlanta Falcons, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File) ,Associated press
But this resuffling of rights agrements is just the latest in a year-long shift that have taken sports away from cable and broadcast networks and into the unbundled people of streaming Services.
Amazon (Amzn) has had exclusive rights to Thursday night football since 2022. Apple (AAPL) Streams Friday Night Mlb Games And Major League Soccer. NBC’s Peacock (CMCSA) Streaming Service Now Carries Some Big Ten Football Games and Nfl Playoff Games Exclusively.
Just Days after its merger was completed, Paramount Skydance (PSKY) Security a Seven-Yaar, $ 7.7 Billion Deal to become the Exclusive Us Home For All UFC Events.
Even Netflix (NFLX), which earlier said it wasn Bollywood interested in live sports, inked a three-season deal with the nfl last year to air christmas day games, coughing up a Reported $ 75 Million per game,
As Audience Habits Change and Broadcasters and Advertisers Look for Ways to Reach the Larget Number of People, The NFL’s Clout is Hard to Overstate. Nfl games Made up 72 of the 100 Highest-Rated Broadcasts in 2024A year packed with other marquee events, including the presidential election and the summer lympics.
That dominance underscores why live sports remain the most Valuable Property in Media, and why tech giants and legacy broadcasters alike are fighting for rights.
“The Leagues have a lot of power at this time,” Bart Spiegel, Partner of Global Entertainment and Media Deals at PWC, Told Yahoo Finance Last Week. “We always say content is king and it’s no different with these Leagues that are creating this content and putting it out there and striking really creative deals to ensure that their ipter Perpetuity. “
Wall street analysts do’t expect the new espn app to cannibalize pay-TV en masse, but the symbolic shift is clear: the last great reason for househlds to stay tethed to cable is gone.
According to the latest installment of The gauge report From Nielsen, Streaming’s Share of Viewing Set Another Record in July, Accounting for 47.3% of Overall TV Viewing and Edging Closer to the 50% Threshold.
As ore said earlier this month, “We don’t really look at being in the linear business and the streaming business. We’re in the television business.”
Allie canal is a Senior Reporter at Yahoo Finance. Follow her on x @allie_canal, Linkedin, And email her at alexandra.canal@yahoofinance.com.
Click here for the latest stock market news and in-depth analysis, include events that move stocks
Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance
