I know many don’t want mlb posts but I left this on the full den as I think ESPN’s strategy is coming clearer. It includes football impact
My opinion
The recent purchase of nfl network and now MLB.tv plus five local broadcasts are an attempt to force customers to subscribe to their new streaming service on top of whatever fees for sunday ticket or mlb.tv
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I hate this. They will ruin everything.
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They’re great at ruining everything
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Yea the MLB package has always been extremely affordable. $150 bucks for 95% of all mlb games and it includes MiLB games for all levels. Tremendous deal!
That is going away soon imo.
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I hate ESPN so much. I thought monopolies were illegal? I know that’s bleeding into politics so I’ll leave it there, but the whole point of a free market is competition, and it sure seems like ESPN doesn’t want any part of competing. Ironic, for a station based around sports.
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Just leave the Tigers on Fanduel.
It is funny to me because EASports did exactly this to ESPN 2k for football and killed Maddens competition long ago. Not the same i know just funny how organizations legally kill competition based on licensing agreements etc
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ESPN ended its broadcast of NASCAR in 2014.
I bet there’s a similar chart we could do of NHL.
I don’t watch baseball or hockey anymore, and it’s largely due to game availability. Put it on broadcast TV like the NFL so it can flourish, or concentrate on a single network like ESPN. Don’t leave us searching for obscure sports networks hoping to increase ad and subscription revenue.
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I’m just kind of sick of all of it, across all sports. Mostly NFL and now MLB. Football is like a freaking game of whack a mole for me trying to figure what service I need to watch the Lions on a weekly basis.
I really don’t give a ■■■■ what anyone says. It was soooooooooo much better when all I had to do was have DirecTV with 300+ channels and subscribe to Sunday TIcket to watch the Lions. One source. I don’t give a ■■■■ if I didn’t watch 250 of the 300+ channels that was included in my DirecTV package. I had one source for anything and everything that I wanted to watch.
But no, everyone had to start crying about “options”. Crying about having to pay for channels they didn’t watch. Wanting things to be available A La Carte.
Well here we are. Want to watch today’s game. Well just A La Carte on over to Peacock to watch this game. How about next week, oh that’s easy, just A La Carte on over to Netflix for that one. And the following week, sure, just A La Carte on over to Prime. You can A La Carte all you want. Just need to have 10 different subscriptions to 10 different services, and pay for them all separately.
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My prediction is these leagues are going to erode the one thing that keeps them alive: interest in their sport.
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well sunday ticket just transferred to Youtube.tv so not a big change there.
The amazon, Netflix games would be the case no matter where you went for the ticket. So some change, yes, but now we wait and see what ESPN does to the nfl and mlb options.
Screw them up is high on the list.
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Same here. I’m not going to hunt down games. I have not watched the pistons since the games all went to wherever they are now, have only listened to tigers radio or the rare fox game.
All this will erode the games long term. You can’t watch your local team as a kid unless your parents are already into it. For kids with non sports parents like i was, there won’t be exposure.
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Spot on, it has been easy to find games via the Ticket and MLB.tv whether Directv or youtubetv you could find NFL games. Time will tell what ESPN does but I’m not optimistic as I think this is nothing more than an effort to drive subscriptions for their streaming service.
Look at what the B1G is doing
Fox, NBC, CBS, Peacock streaming, Amazon pain in the ass.
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I really miss the noon game on ABC always being a big ten Match-up and the afternoon game being another. If you wanted to see SEC schools they were on cable and available, but he local schools were free to see on the air. Not too mention all the college basketball and nhl games you used to be able to see. It’s really a shame how much it’s changed in pursuit of the dollar.
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Yep, and the current B1G commissioner comes from the media world so not a surprise to see what they are doing.
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I remember a long time ago when ESPN was actually about sports - Sportscenter was good with actual highlights and no, or at least far less, political BS.I also remember when streaming actually saved money - but alas, in order to get everything we want, it’ll be the wheel of numerous streaming services to cover everything.
ESPN has been a shit show for a while now and I have 100% confidence they’ll muck this up like nobody else can dream of. And you can bet your bottom dollar the consumer will be worse off because of their changes.
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So Sunday Ticket has a while to go before the YTV agreement ends and this was published prior to the mlb.tv announcement.
Time will tell
ESPN has hit a new height of sheer omnipresence. It reaches far across streaming, from its Disney+ partnership to its over-the-top service with ESPN+. The network has also increased its hold in NFL, NBA, SEC and ACC live broadcasting. Up next is a consolidation of sorts, with ESPN’s direct-to-consumer (DTC) service launching Thursday, Aug. 21, along with an update to its app. Here’s what sports watchers need to know about the new subscription offering.
What is ESPN’s DTC service?
It’s basically a way to get all of ESPN’s disparate networks in one subscription. At launch, there are 12 networks under the tent:
- ESPN, the main channel
- ABC, specifically any ESPN sports production airing on the flagship broadcaster
- ESPN2, the secondary channel
- ESPN3, digital-only games
- ESPN+, digital-only games
- ESPNU for college sports
- ESPNEWS for simulcasts, reruns and event overflow
- ESPN Deportes for Spanish-language programming
- SEC Network for the Southeastern Conference
- SEC Network+, digital-only
- ACC Network for the Atlantic Coast Conference
- ACCNX, digital-only
Who is it for?
This is primarily for folks who don’t have cable, satellite or a multi-channel streaming service like Fubo (a commercial partner of The Athletic) or YouTube TV. ESPN is also trying to appeal to more dedicated (or intense) nightly watchers: It has multiview options, integrated game stats, betting info, fantasy updates and the ability to shop for related gear.
What are the subscription options?
The DTC service is branded as “ESPN Unlimited,” and it goes for $29.99 per month or $299.99 annually.
ESPN+ is renamed to “ESPN Select,” and it still costs $11.99/month or $119.99/year. That “Select” option does not include access to the actual linear networks (ESPN, ESPN2, etc.), which is needlessly confusing but critical to know. ESPN+ has simulcasts and digital exclusives that add up to around 32,000 live events each year, compared to the “Unlimited” plan with 47,000.
There is also an option to bundle ESPN’s “Unlimited” service with Disney+ and Hulu (both with ads) for $29.99 per month for the first 12 months.
What about those who already have ESPN on cable?
Cable subscribers will be able to plug their credentials into the updated ESPN app and watch there. Right now, ESPN has agreements with the following pay-TV providers:
- Fubo (Save $30)
- Charter
- DirecTV
- Hulu
- Verizon
Authentication through any other additional cable systems and multi-channel streaming services — like Comcast or YouTube TV — will not be included in the initial app but are expected to be integrated into it eventually.
How does this affect the other ESPN deals with NFL, WWE, UFC and Fox?
The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand reported that ESPN traded 10 percent of its equity to the NFL, in exchange for league media assets like the NFL Network, NFL+ and NFL RedZone. ESPN “Unlimited” users will be able to bundle in NFL+ starting in September, with additional costs for RedZone access.
ESPN also has a new contract with the WWE. It’s a five-year, $1.6 billion agreement that gives the network exclusive rights to WrestleMania, among other marquee events. All WWE premium live events on ESPN’s DTC platform (which begin in mid-September) will be accessible through the “Unlimited” DTC plan — or after being authenticated into ESPN’s app as a paying cable, satellite or streaming bundle subscriber. Like the WWE’s previous deal with NBC’s subscription service Peacock, the WWE’s “premium live events” will be available at no extra charge to ESPN “Unlimited” subscribers.
The remaining 2025 UFC events available via pay-per-view through ESPN+ will be accessible to purchase by anyone with an ESPN “Select” or “Unlimited” DTC plan. (In 2026, UFC fights will move over to Paramount+ as part of that service’s monthly subscription.)
As if there weren’t enough deals to follow, ESPN’s DTC service is also pairing with “Fox One,” Fox’s own DTC model that includes live NFL, MLB and college football broadcasts. That new service will include Fox, FS1, FS2, Fox Deportes and the Big Ten Network. Starting in October, the ESPN-Fox joint bundle runs at $39.99 per month.
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