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ESPN is one of those networks that many people are familiar with. Heck, even people who don't care about sports know what ESPN is. And, no, it's not when you can read someone else's mind. That's ESP (as the movie Mean Girls taught us all). Being tuned into ESPN is something like having ESP for all of the sports that you care about. They have built a reputation for themselves over the years - to the point where many people swear by ESPN over all other sports news networks.
ESPN offers a streaming service with a lot of exclusive programming that is useful for anyone who wants to keep up with the live sports they need to see.
So, even if you can't watch every game live, it's still important to have access to the highlights and news from every game. Fortunately, there are some great premium sports streaming services that allow you to do just that ? and ESPN Plus is definitely one of them.
That being said, there are still so many sports streaming services out there to choose from, so it can be hard to know which one is the right one for you. To make that decision, you will first have to take a look at the streaming service, learn more about it, and decide how much the monthly fee is. So without further ado, let's talk about one of the top premium sports streaming services on the market.
History
In August of 2016, the Walt Disney Corporation acquired a minority stake in BAMTech, an offshoot of MLB Advanced Media's technology endeavor. This also came with an option to acquire a majority share down the road if the investment proved to pan out the way that the Disney execs thought it might. Around the same time, however, it was also announced that ESPN (a subsidiary of Disney) had designs to develop an over-the-top streaming service. This exploratory OTT project would broadcast primarily content and programming already owned by ESPN.
ESPN was already using BAMTech's technology, it turned out, for its TV Everywhere service known as Watch ESPN. Disney CEO Bob Iger acknowledged at the time that even though profits in the cable television industry were falling due to cord-cutting, ?live sports has really thrived, even in a world where there are so many more choices for people to do and to watch.?
Fast forward to August 2017: Disney invoked its right to acquire that majority stake in BAMTech. This announcement was bundled with the announcement that they would also be launching ESPN?s OTT streaming service in 2018 (which was to be followed by Disney's own OTT service in 2019, which would become Disney Plus).
Disney asserted that ESPN's streaming service would draw content from its ownership contracts with MLB, NHL, and Major League Soccer. The redesign and redistribution of content on the ESPN app then made ESPN Plus the "premier digital destination for sports content." Disney continued its gradual digital media takeover in subsequent years.
Last December, Disney announced its acquisition of 20th Century Fox. In return, the company was given access to Fox Sports Network (and all regional divisions). However, this arrangement would ultimately result in Disney being legally obligated to abandon parts of the deal due to antitrust laws.
Notwithstanding its relative unpopularity, ESPN Plus remains one of the most popular (if not the most popular) OTT sports streaming services on the market. In February of 2018, Disney CEO Bob Iger confirmed that ESPN Plus was aiming for one of the most competitive monthly fees in the premium digital streaming world, at $4.99/month. And after some light corporate restructuring - BamTech and ESPN Plus were situated into a newly founded division within Disney, its Disney Direct to Consumer and International segment - on April 2nd, 2018, ESPN announced that ESPN Plus would be officially launching on April 12th of 2018; they also confirmed the $4.99/month price point.
On August 21st, 2018, ESPN announced that it had successfully merged its preexisting ESPN premium subscription service under ESPN Plus. This added access to the premium members? section of ESPN.com (including exclusive stories, and advanced sports statistics and analytics tools). ESPN Insider users were grandfathered into ESPN Plus, and the $10 difference in annual fees was waved.
Design
I was impressed with the ESPN Plus app design. It's very similar to the Disney Plus design, which I think is a good thing. The larger icons are really cool and make the app feel more immersive. I like how ESPN Plus looks, and I especially like the larger thumbnail icons.
Overall, I think the design of ESPN Plus is sleek. But more importantly, the user-friendly and seamless design makes it easy to browse content. For example, by selecting a certain title, you will be given plenty of information on that title without having to click into a new page (this is not always easy to say about, for example, Hulu or Netflix's somewhat clumsy designs). This allows for easy and convenient content browsing, which is seldom seen in sports streaming services.
Content
This is another great feature of ESPN Plus. It offers a great blend of live sports broadcasts, exclusive pay per view events, original TV content, and tons of news beats and stats that you just can't find on any other sports network. As far as live TV is concerned, ESPN Plus offers thousands of games, including MLB, NHL, Series A, FA Cup, Top Rank Boxing, and MLS events. Plus, ESPN Plus lets you watch Grand Slam Tennis and tons of live broadcasts of all your favorite college-level sports, such as football, basketball, even lacrosse.
ESPN Plus is a great way to enjoy all the content ESPN has to offer. It offers tons of original shows, many of which have commentary from some of the best players in history. Plus, you have access to all the ESPN originals and documentaries that are available, as well as unlimited access to premium sports articles. You'll never run out of things to watch.
Mobile and Desktop Experience
ESPN Plus is one of the highest-rated sports apps on the market and has an average rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars on the Apple App Store. People seem to be very pleased with both the mobile and desktop versions of ESPN Plus. The experience between the 2 is about as seamless as it gets, with no choppiness or breaks in content when moving from one device to another. Pause content on your Smart TV, for instance, and pick right back up where you left off on your iPhone or Android device.
Pricing and Plans
ESPN Plus is a great value for streaming service, with monthly fees of only $4.99 or you can take advantage of a unique offer for only $12.99. You can also bundle ESPN Plus with Hulu and Disney Plus for a total of only $19.99 per month which is cheaper than paying for all 3 services individually. Can't go wrong with that package, if you ask me.
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