A day after announcing a direct-to-consumer (DTC) product in partnership with Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery, ESPN is still making plans for its own DTC offering.
In an interview with CNBC, Disney CEO Bob Iger said the ESPN DTC service is tentatively set to launch in the fall of 2025, with August seen as the earliest launch date.
The service is also expected to contain added features, including sports betting and fantasy sports aspects.
No pricing for the ESPN DTC service has been announced.
Following Tuesday’s announcement about the ESPN/Fox/WBD joint venture, launching in the fall of 2024, there were some questions about the ESPN DTC service, and whether it would actually launch or if the joint venture would be a replacement. Iger’s comments on Wednesday have affirmed that it will indeed be launching, though nearly a year later than the unnamed joint product.
While the pricing for neither the ESPN DTC service nor the joint venture has been announced, the similar levels of ESPN content in both seemingly indicate that the ESPN DTC product will be cheaper. This checks out with the pricing estimated for both services at different times. The ESPN DTC service has been rumored to cost between $25 and $30 per month, while the joint venture could cost as much as $50, per various estimates.
[CNBC]
