ESPN +, which has grown significantly in recent years and has also added a significant number of live sports offerings, will increase its monthly price from $ 7 to $ 10 on August 23.
The 43% rate hike is the second in just over a year for ESPN +, which launched in 2018 and now has 22.3 million subscribers.
The change hasn’t been officially announced, but a person familiar with the company’s plans confirmed it to Deadline.
The price of the Disney Bundle, which includes Hulu, Disney +, and ESPN + on-demand service, does not increase with the upgrade to ESPN +. (Packages start at $ 14 per month.) Prices for UFC pay-per-view events also remain unchanged.
ESPN + ‘s standalone price hike is not surprising given the influx of live events on the service. Over 1,000 off-market NHL games and extended PGA Tour coverage (programming that previously cost twice the price of an ESPN + monthly membership) are now included, along with NFL, college sports, tennis, and more. A growing list of original series such as The man in the arena: Tom Brady, Peyton’s places And Derek Jeter’s next release CaptainIt is also the main part of the mix.
While only a handful of outdoor sports were available on ESPN + when it was first unveiled in April 2018, most of the rights deals have been made and, of course, all of them in the future will relate to the streaming service as main component of transportation. The bigger picture saw a significant amount of sports broadcasts, including the NFL’s definitive deal with Prime Video for Thursday night games and Apple TV + and NBCUniversal Peacock’s Major League Baseball exclusive packages.
The Walt Disney Co., which owns ESPN, is increasingly under control from Wall Street for its broader broadcast strategy. The media giant has taken a hard hit and has seen its share price rise in recent years when it was perceived as “all inclusive” on streaming. Recently, however, with category leader Netflix stumbling and many investors questioning the streaming economy, Disney and his colleagues have seen their fortunes change, with streaming profitability prospects becoming the biggest metric. relevant. From its beginnings as a pioneering cable network, pricing power has been ESPN’s primary lever and has continued to deliver strong growth for traditional pay-TV operators despite a decline in its traditional video subscriber base.
ESPN + has already hit the 20 million to 30 million subscriber range that Disney expects to reach by the end of fiscal 2024. The company also said the sports service will be profitable by the end of fiscal 2023.
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Source: Deadline
Elizabeth Cabrera is an author and journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a talent for staying up-to-date on the latest news and trends, Elizabeth is dedicated to delivering informative and engaging articles that keep readers informed on the latest developments.
