ESPN is making way for Disney+ to attract families and casual sports fans

If some people don’t feel like they need to use ESPN, Disney is working to make ESPN accessible to them.

The entertainment giant on Wednesday made ESPN content available to Disney+ customers — even if they are not direct subscribers to the ESPN+ broadband hub or the ESPN linear cable networks. Under the plan, Disney will provide Disney+ subscribers with a curated lineup of live ESPN game broadcasts, originals and studio shows, while those who subscribe to a broader suite of Disney streaming services will be able to access ESPN+ content without Disney+ to leave.

“One of our priorities is expanding the audience, and we love the idea of ​​potentially directly targeting casual fans and the very large female audience on Disney+,” ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro said during an interview. “We see an opportunity to help the Disney+ platform create more engagement and differentiation, and also help ESPN grow our audience.” Disney’s research, he adds, shows very little overlap between people who Watch ESPN offerings on linear channels, and Disney+ subscribers.

Offerings made available to Disney+ subscribers include ESPN staples like “College GameDay” and “Pardon the Interruption.”

The move represents a major step in Hollywood’s ongoing streaming wars, as Disney and its rivals work to fend off the advance of digital rivals such as Netflix, Apple and Amazon among video consumers. ESPN’s placement on Disney+ makes it more of a streaming provider for a broad audience rather than a venue aimed solely at younger viewers and their parents. In March, Disney made its general entertainment service Hulu available to subscribers via Disney+.

“This launch will truly expand what Disney+ is, who it is for and what we have to offer,” said Alisa Bowen, president of Disney+. If Disney+ users are looking for a broader range of ESPN material, they are encouraged to upgrade to the broader suite of Disney streaming services, which also includes ESPN+ and Hulu.

The new Disney+ access to Sports could also serve to whet consumer appetite for the launch of a new standalone ESPN streaming service that offers almost everything the sports media giant offers, rather than just a range of content that is its own linear channels. When ESPN+ launched in 2018, it was designed as a venue that could provide superfans with new originals and some live sports not available on cable. However, as more and more viewers leave traditional cable and satellite services, it seems clear that Disney will have to move more aggressively to accommodate them. The new, more comprehensive ESPN streaming provider is expected to debut in fall 2025.

The introduction of ESPN content on Disney+ could also benefit sponsors, says Rita Ferro, president of global advertising at Disney. “It allows us to speak to new sports fans and provide them with unique experiences and events that may never reach the same audience if it were only on an ESPN platform,” she says.

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The company has already designed two sporting events aimed at a decidedly unconventional sporting audience. An animated “Alterna Cast” of “Monday Night Football” featuring characters from “The Simpsons” will stream on Disney+ and ESPN+ on December 9th. Meanwhile, main characters like Daisy Duck and Mickey Mouse will take part in a special animated version of a Christmas Day NBA game between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs, which will be available to watch on Disney+, ESPN+ and ESPN2.

“We’re starting to think about what other alternative shows we can do to appeal to younger audiences,” Pitaro says. The sports leagues are behind such an idea, he says. “They continue to look for ways to make their content and games more relevant to more people, and of course that means attracting a younger demographic, and we can help with that.”

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