For years as it designed a future beyond the cable bundle, ESPN has been building a standalone subscription service.
That service is finally set to launch this fall ahead of the NFL season, and the final details are slowly being revealed. While the service has been called “Flagship” internally in Bristol (and on this site) for most of its existence, Alex Sherman of CNBC reported Friday that the platform’s name will be far more simple than that.
Rather than Flagship or “All-Access” or some variation of “Plus” or “Max,” the new service will simply be called… “ESPN.”
How’s that for brand synergy?
The new service will be exactly the same as ESPN’s cable offering, so the Worldwide Leader will use exactly the same name.
ESPN’s subscription service is expected to cost between $20 and $30 monthly. It is unclear how ESPN+, which gives users access to exclusive NFL games and countless college sports properties plus add-ons like UFC pay-per-views and NHL Center Ice, will be integrated into the new service.
Cable subscribers who have ESPN in their bundle will have access to the new service as well.
As part of the launch, Disney CEO Bob Iger and ESPN chair Jimmy Pitaro have teased several new integrations for fans. The app is expected to include customizable, personalized segment and highlight packages, like an episode of SportsCenter designed around a user’s fandoms. It is also expected to integrate ESPN Bet and ESPN fantasy games directly.
ESPN has lost tens of millions of cable subscribers since its peak 15 to 20 years ago. In an effort to get back that lost revenue, it is taking the plunge into the streaming world full-on. And to show users that it is giving them the full package, it is using the same name that it always has, with those four letters.
