Sports Gazette

The sports magazine brought to you by the next generation of sport writers

ESPN releases new streaming app

February 12, 2018

U.S. based global cable company ESPN has announced a new streaming service called ESPN Plus that will cost $4.99 per month and will launch this spring. ESPN, owned by The Walt Disney Company and Hearst Communications, says the offering will be built into ESPN’s main mobile app which will go through a redesign having three different sections – scores and news, live streaming through a cable authentication, and the new ESPN Plus.

Hopes of being able to watch ESPN’s main channels, like ESPN and ESPN2, without a cable subscription were quickly shut down. The sport media company does not yet see itself going through over the top streaming. ESPN would have to charge an extra amount for that to be able to balance out. Disney CEO Bob Iger said through an earning’s call that the service will provide “an incremental thousand of hours of live sports programming” as well as new and existing programming, like the critically acclaimed 30 for 30 series.

Embed from Getty Images

The live sports programming will be games not shown in the main channels on national TV like golf, rugby, cricket and soccer. This target audience is for the cord-cutters who don’t mind not having a cable subscription. Serious sports fans who want to see the nationally televised NFL or NBA games are the ones willing to spend the money on big cable packages. ESPN only delivers a small piece for major sports games.

ESPN is hoping this can help with their recent ad revenue decline, something that led to hundreds of employees being laid off last year.

BAMtech, a streaming company that works with major sport leagues, will help ESPN Plus get their content out there. It is also 75% owned by Disney.

 

Feature Image:  The Daily Cardinal

Author

  • Louis Olvera

    Louis grew up in a small town of Mexico called Ensenada in the state of Baja California. He now resides in San Diego, California. He completed his undergraduate degree at Seton Hall University located in South Orange, New Jersey with a focus on Broadcast Journalism. His broadcasting courses ranged in television and film but Louis’ main focus has always been with sportscasting. He was able to join clubs in the university like Pirate TV and Pirate Sports Network and be a major contributor and correspondent. His work consisted of creating digital content for Seton Hall University sports teams. Louis narrated, reported, produced, directed, and wrote for multiple matches and studio programs. In the summer of 2017, Louis wrote post match reports and opinion pieces on the Mexican National Team on the sports website TheAOSN.com during the FIFA Confederations Cup and the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Louis is now completing an MA in International Sports Journalism at St Mary’s University Twickenham. He is pursuing to improve his all around skills in sports journalism to one day achieve his goal in the broadcasting world.

    View all posts