ESPN’s streaming service ‘on schedule’ for fall launch

ESPN’s long-awaited direct-to-consumer streaming service remains on schedule.

The streamer, which has internally been dubbed “Flagship” is planned for a rollout this fall to coincide with the start of football season. And asked by Sports Business Journal’s Austin Karp whether this was still the timeline, ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro answered in the affirmative.

“Yes, we’re on schedule to launch this fall,” Pitaro said before describing what fans can expect from the new platform. “I think it’s helpful to think about it in two ways. First off, we will be making all of our channels, all of our content, available direct-to-consumer for the first time. And that includes ESPN+. So ESPN1, ESPN2, ESPNEWS, ESPNU, SEC Network, ACC Network, ESPN+. [Fans will] be able to buy it all through ESPN directly.

“Part two is a significantly enhanced ESPN app. So we are not launching a new app, we are very happy with the current app and all the personalization features, that’s the foundation. But we’re building off of that foundation and we’ll launch with enhancements like more fantasy integration, more betting integration, more commerce integration, stats integration.”

The good news for consumers is that, no matter which way you get your ESPN, you’ll have access to these features. Both subscribers to the digital offering and subscribers to traditional cable and satellite packages will be able to access the personalized platform.

A price point for ESPN’s forthcoming service has yet to be revealed, though prior reports indicate that the streamer will begin somewhere in the mid-to-upper $20 range per month.