ESPN+ is a brand of streaming-only sports programming primarily distributed through the ESPN direct-to-consumer streaming service, both owned by ESPN, which is a joint venture between the Walt Disney Company (which owns 72% via indirect subsidiary ABC Inc.) and Hearst Communications (which owns 18%), and the National Football League (which owns 10%). The service launched on April 12, 2018.
From April 2018 to August 2025, ESPN+ was an over-the-top subscription video streaming service available in the United States, operating using technology of Disney subsidiary BAMTech, now known as Disney Streaming. As a streaming service, ESPN+ was marketed as an add-on to ESPN's core linear networks, with some of ESPN+'s content previously offered exclusively to cable subscribers via ESPN3 and the ESPN app. ESPN+ did not include access to these services, as they continued to only be available through television providers. Thus, some of ESPN's sports rights were not carried on ESPN+.
Remaining ESPN+-branded content includes combat sports (including coverage of the Ultimate Fighting Championship), college sports, hockey (including up to 50 exclusive National Hockey League games per-season and all out-of-market games), soccer, golf (including PGA Tour Live and coverage of the PGA Championship), tennis and cricket. MLB.TV, Major League Baseball's out-of-market sports package, also operated through Disney Streaming, is sold through the platform as an add-on. The service also featured archive content, ESPN original documentaries and access to premium content on ESPN.com.
ESPN+ was integrated into the ESPN direct-to-consumer streaming service when it launched on August 21, 2025, with the previous ESPN+ streaming product rebranded as the ESPN Select subscription tier. However, ESPN+ will remain active as a programming brand for an unspecified period of time due to contractual obligations with some of its content providers. ESPN+ will also continue to be distributed to commercial establishments as a standalone package.
Contents
History
In August 2016, the Walt Disney Company acquired a minority stake in BAMTech, a spin-out of MLB Advanced Media's streaming technology business, for $1 billion, with an option to acquire a majority stake in the future. It was also announced that Disney subsidiary ESPN was planning to develop an over-the-top service based on BAMTech technology as "an exploratory OTT project", drawing primarily from ESPN-owned rights for events not broadcast on television. ESPN already used BAMTech's platform for its TV Everywhere service WatchESPN. Disney CEO Bob Iger remarked that despite declines in the pay television industry due to cord-cutting, "live sports has really thrived, even in a world where there's so much more for people to do and to watch."
In August 2017, Disney invoked its option to acquire a controlling stake in BAMTech, and announced that it planned to launch its ESPN OTT service in 2018, followed by a Disney entertainment OTT service in 2019 (thus ending its relationship with Netflix). At this time, Disney stated that the new ESPN service would draw from ESPN-owned sports rights, as well as MLB, NHL and MLS content (although lacking major ESPN-owned rights such as the NBA and NFL), and that an accompanying redesign of the ESPN app would make it a "premier digital destination" for sports content. During Disney's fourth-quarter earnings call, Iger revealed that the service would be known as ESPN+. In December 2017, Disney announced its intent to acquire 21st Century Fox after the spin-off of certain businesses. The deal was to include the Fox Sports Networks group of regional sports networks (which Disney was ordered to divest under antitrust grounds), which led to suggestions that Disney wanted to incorporate FSN's regional sports rights into the service.
In February 2018, Iger stated that ESPN was aiming for a monthly price of $4.99. ESPN+ and BAMTech were placed into the newly formed Disney business segment, Disney Direct-to-Consumer and International, on March 14, 2018. On April 2, 2018, ESPN announced that ESPN+ would officially launch on April 12, 2018, and confirmed its $4.99 per-month pricing.
On August 21, 2018, ESPN.com's existing subscription service ESPN Insider was discontinued and folded into ESPN+, adding its premium web content (such as exclusive beat reports, and advanced sports statistics, analytics and fantasy sports tools) to the service. Both services shared the same monthly price, but ESPN Insider subscribers continued to receive the complimentary subscription to ESPN The Magazine that was included (until its discontinuation in September 2019), and annual subscribers were grandfathered under its previous $39.99-per-year price (as opposed to $49.99 for ESPN+).
Programming
History of programming
ESPN+ initially focused on overflow content, similar to that of ESPN3 (which is distributed through TV Everywhere to subscribers of participating internet and television providers). Some of ESPN3's content has since moved to ESPN+, and has since been incorporated more extensively into ESPN's later media rights deals.
Its launch content included boxing (including Top Rank events and archive content through 2025, and includes 36 exclusive fight cards), college sports events (including Ivy League events), outer court coverage of Tennis Grand Slams, international cricket (India national cricket team, Cricket Ireland and New Zealand Cricket), soccer (notably including Major League Soccer, the United Soccer League, the U.S. Open Cup, 2019 Copa America, the English Football League and the EFL Cup, Serie A and Eredivisie) and College Rugby. In October 2018, ESPN+ obtained the rights for the Swedish Allsvenskan and the Danish Superliga, declaring their intent to broadcast one match per week for each league. In February 2021, ESPN+ obtained the rights for the Belgian Pro League, and are expected to broadcast 3 matches per week.
ESPN+ featured out-of-market Major League Soccer matches at no additional charge for subscribers until 2023, when all matches moved to MLS Season Pass without blackouts, and the service held exclusive rights to all regionally televised Chicago Fire matches through 2020. Beginning in 2020, ESPN+ aired all matches of the German Bundesliga soccer league under a six-year deal.
PGA Tour Live (which was also run by Disney Streaming) was included for the 2018 PGA Tour season, but moved to NBC Sports Gold in 2019. ESPN+ will offer supplemental feeds during the PGA Championship beginning 2020, including during CBS broadcast windows. In 2022, PGA Tour Live returned to ESPN+ as part of a new long-term deal through 2030.
In March 2019, the American Athletic Conference announced a 12-year media rights deal with ESPN, under which ESPN+ will carry the majority of events not aired by ESPN's linear channels.
In May 2019, it was announced that ESPN+ would carry 18 World TeamTennis matches.
UFC
In May 2018, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) announced new five-year digital and linear television rights deals with ESPN, effective January 2019. 20 UFC on ESPN+ Fight Night cards per year are streamed exclusively by the service, as well as preliminaries for 10 UFC on ESPN Fight Night cards per year. ESPN+ will also hold rights to supplemental content such as Dana White's Contender Series, archive content and PPV encores, and offer sales of UFC Fight Pass within the platform. The first ESPN+ event, UFC Fight Night: Cejudo vs. Dillashaw, generated 525,000 new subscribers on the day of the event alone.
On March 18, 2019, it was announced that ESPN had reached a two-year extension of its contract with the UFC. Beginning with UFC 236, ESPN+ became the exclusive U.S. distributor of all UFC pay-per-view events for residential customers; they are no longer sold through television providers, and viewers must have an ESPN+ subscription in order to buy them.
The package moved to Paramount+ and CBS in 2026, including the end of pay-per-view content altogether.
Current rights
National teams
West Indies national cricket team
New Zealand national cricket team (home match rights until 2026)
T20 leagues
New Zealand's Super Smash
Other
Super50 Cup
Women's Super50 Cup
USL Championship
USL League One
USL Cup
NCAA soccer
Northern Super League
Spain
La Liga
Segunda División
Copa del Rey
Supercopa de España
Copa De La Renia
Supercopa de España Femenina
England
FA Cup
FA Community Shield
Women's Super League
Women's FA Cup
Women's FA Community Shield
Netherlands
Eredivisie
Original programming
ESPN+ also carries ESPN original programming and documentaries, such as the 30 for 30 franchise (with some premiering on ESPN+ prior to their premiere on ESPN), and exclusive original series and studio programs:
Detail – A franchise of programs featuring analysis of sports by associated players. The initial, basketball version of the series was hosted and produced by Kobe Bryant until his death in January 2020. In October 2018, ESPN announced that Peyton Manning would host an NFL version of the program. On June 29, 2019, ESPN announced a mixed martial arts version of the program hosted by Daniel Cormier. Golden State Warriors head coach and former Chicago Bulls player Steve Kerr, along with former Bulls coach Phil Jackson, hosted special episodes focused on the Michael Jordan-led Bulls dynasty in the 1990s, as a tie-in for the ESPN documentary miniseries The Last Dance.
ESPN FC – A studio program focusing on soccer; it moved from airing on the networks to exclusively being on ESPN+.
In The Crease – a daily Stanley Cup playoffs highlight and discussion show hosted by Arda Ocal
Quest for the Stanley Cup – A documentary series following the Stanley Cup playoffs (moved from Showtime)
Last Train to Russia – A documentary series previewing the 2018 FIFA World Cup
Year One – A documentary series following the 2017–18 NBA rookie class, featuring Jayson Tatum, Ben Simmons and Donovan Mitchell
MLS Rewind – A weekly recap of Major League Soccer action, hosted by Taylor Twellman and featuring analysis from Alejandro Moreno
I'll Take That Bet – A series focusing on sports betting, in conjunction with The Action Network
Ariel and the Bad Guy – A weekly mixed martial arts discussion show hosted by Ariel Helwani and Chael Sonnen
Other programming
In the 2019 Formula One season, ESPN+ began to carry Sky Sports F1's studio shows Pit Lane Live and Welcome To the Weekend.
ESPN+ for Business
In January 2021, Joe Hand Promotions began offering a commercial subscription of ESPN+ for Business, a version of ESPN+ that offers limited live sports content via DirecTV to commercial establishments. In 2023, the commercial service was expanded to include college sports.
In September 2025, ESPN announced it was making ESPN+ available as a standalone streaming package for commercial establishments via EverPass Media.