General · EdgepediaSeptember 17, 20266 min read

ESPN+

ESPN+ is a subscription sports streaming service operated by ESPN, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, which launched on April 12, 2018 as Disney's first direct-to-consumer streaming offering¹^•². It was deliberately built as a complement to ESPN's linear television channels rather than a replacement for them, carrying live out-of-market and secondary sports rights, original programming, and the 30 for 30 documentary library². In 2025 the service was rebranded as ESPN Select, with ESPN+ surviving as the name of the content network included in both the Select plan and the higher-priced ESPN Unlimited plan³^•⁴.

Key fact	Detail
Launch	April 12, 2018, at $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year, integrated into a redesigned ESPN App¹^•²
Technology base	Powered by BAMTech, in which Disney bought a 33% stake in 2016 and a 75% stake in 2017; BAMTech was renamed Disney Streaming Services in 2018⁵
Launch content	A daily MLB game (180 per season), more than 180 NHL games, more than 250 MLS games, college sports, golf, cricket, rugby, and three tennis Grand Slams²
Scale	More than 30,000 live sports events per year, plus on-demand replays and original programming⁶
Rebranding	As of October 21, 2025, ESPN Plus became ESPN Select at $12.99 per month; the flagship ESPN service launched August 21, 2025³^•⁷
Current pricing	ESPN Select $13.99/month or $139.99/year; ESPN Unlimited $31.99/month or $319.99/year⁸
Blackouts	Games may be blacked out in a team's home television territory, enforced by the subscriber's verified geographic location⁹

Launch and background

ESPN+ was announced in April 2018 as the first direct-to-consumer service from Disney's newly formed Direct-to-Consumer and International (DTCI) group, in partnership with ESPN¹. The service ran on BAMTech, the streaming technology company in which Disney had purchased a 33% stake in 2016 to launch new ESPN- and Disney-branded subscription services, increased to 75% in 2017; in 2018 BAMTech was renamed Disney Streaming Services⁵.

At launch, ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro described the offering as the beginning of a new era of innovation at ESPN, and the service was priced at $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year, with a free 30-day trial sponsored by American Express². ESPN+ was integrated into a completely redesigned ESPN App that also carried scores, news, highlights, ESPN Radio streaming, and authenticated "TV Everywhere" streaming of ESPN's eight U.S. networks for pay-TV subscribers¹.

Positioning and content

Complement, not replacement. From the start, ESPN treated ESPN+ content as distinct from its traditional television offering. The marquee games shown on linear ESPN were not part of the service, and Pitaro said the service was "meant to be complementary and additive to what you're getting on linear television"². BAMTech CEO Michael Paull framed the target audience as sports enthusiasts, including fans of cricket, rugby, and soccer that he described as historically underserved, rather than cord-cutters specifically².

The launch lineup included a daily Major League Baseball game totaling 180 games per season, more than 180 National Hockey League games, more than 250 Major League Soccer games, college sports, golf, cricket, rugby, and matches from three of the tennis Grand Slams². Original programming included the 30 for 30 documentary library and shows such as Detail, a basketball analysis series hosted by Kobe Bryant². By the time ESPN content arrived on Disney+ in December 2024, ESPN+ offered access to more than 30,000 live sports events each year, including MLB, WNBA, college sports, tennis, and golf, alongside on-demand replays and studio programming⁶.

Blackouts

Live events on ESPN subscriptions are subject to blackout restrictions. If a subscriber is in the home television territory of a team playing a game, that game may be blacked out for live viewing as part of the subscription⁹. Blackouts are enforced according to the location from which the subscriber accesses the service, and ESPN states that it may use different technologies and methods to verify geographic location; a subscriber who does not enable location access on their device cannot access the ESPN service at all⁹. Third-party products purchased through an ESPN subscription, such as league packages from Major League Baseball or the National Hockey League, are additionally subject to those leagues' own blackout policies⁹.

Rebranding and the ESPN Unlimited tier

In August 2025 ESPN launched its flagship direct-to-consumer service on August 21, timed to the start of the college football and NFL seasons. The unlimited plan, priced at $29.99 per month, gave subscribers access to all of ESPN's linear networks, including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SECN, ACCN, and ESPNEWS, plus ESPN on ABC, ESPN+, ESPN3, SECN+, and ACCNX, covering 47,000 live events each year⁷.

As of October 21, 2025, ESPN Plus was rebranded as ESPN Select, offering the same ESPN+ content at $12.99 per month³. Under the new structure, ESPN+ is a network whose content is exclusive to ESPN Select and Unlimited subscribers; ESPN Select includes ESPN+ content only, while ESPN Unlimited adds all ESPN networks and services⁴. Existing ESPN+ subscribers were moved to the Select plan⁴. Prices later rose to $13.99 per month for Select and $31.99 per month for Unlimited, with subscribers who joined before August 20, 2026 keeping their prior price until their first billing date after September 17, 2026⁸.

Bundling and Disney+ integration

ESPN+ has been sold in a bundle with Disney+ and Hulu since Disney+ launched in the United States in November 2019¹⁰. On December 4, 2024, Disney+ added an ESPN tile and hub serving as a destination for ESPN+ streaming content, giving bundle subscribers an integrated viewing experience inside the Disney+ app; standalone Disney+ subscribers received a curated selection of live events, studio shows, and ESPN Films⁶.

The bundle has become the dominant path to the newer tiers as well. Around 80% of ESPN Unlimited plan subscribers access the service through the Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN bundle, according to a Disney spokesperson¹¹. The Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN Unlimited bundle is priced starting at $35.99 per month, against $31.99 per month for Unlimited alone¹².

References

Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026