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Recommended Reading: The redesigned WWE Network
WWE Network 2.0: How WWE rebuilt its streaming service after a split with Disney Chris Welch, The Verge After a flashy reveal at CES a few years ago, the WWE Network is by all accounts a success, amassing well over a million subscribers by early 2019. Disney threw a wrench in the plans when it bought BAMTech, the company that had successfully constructed streaming services for the likes of Major League Baseball and HBO Now. It was also what WWE relied on for its 24/7 buffet of choke slams and live events. WWE saw the writing on the wall, and rebuilt its streaming library from the ground up.
Disney says 'quality over quantity' gives it a streaming advantage
The Disney+ Showcase at the D23 Expo started with a live performance from the cast of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. And that wasn't just about getting the crowd fired up. For Disney, it was an opportunity to give its biggest fans a taste of one of the original shows that will anchor its upcoming streaming service, Disney+. High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, along with other originals like The Mandalorian and blockbuster movies such as Captain Marvel, are a key part of how Disney hopes to lure people into signing up for Disney+, which launches November 12th for $6.99 per month. From Pixar to Marvel, to Star Wars and National Geographic, Disney is betting on the power of the brands it owns to make its streaming efforts a success -- and, at D23, the company made it clear that it's going to get as much as it can out of them to help it get there.
NHL redesigns its streaming app to bring you more of the action
ESPN+ may be Disney's main sports streaming service but NHL.TV is the online home for out-of-market ice hockey games. And with the new season about to get underway, the app is getting a redesign and adding almost 50 percent more pre-and post-game shows -- along with intermission broadcasts. Immediately noticeable are the overhauled Team Pages that put video up-front and center moments after the puck drops on every new match, including a new pinned video player at the top of each article.
ESPN+ is the sports-streaming cord-cutters have been waiting for
After months of rumors and speculation about what it would look like or how much it would cost, ESPN's standalone streaming service is finally launching today. It's called ESPN+ and it's priced at $5 a month, which will get you both live and on-demand content that, according to the company, is geared toward underserved sports fans. The first thing you should know about ESPN+ is that it isn't meant to replace the traditional ESPN network but rather is designed to be complementary to it. With the streaming offering, for instance, you won't have access to ESPN's flagship show, SportsCenter. Instead, ESPN+ will have its own original programming, including shows that will focus on news, scores and highlights about specific sports and leagues.
ESPN+ offers a first look at Disney’s big plans for streaming
Disney has been relatively open about its plans to carve out a name for itself in the video-streaming wars, as it readies to compete with the likes of Netflix and Hulu. Although the company isn't launching its flagship service until the end of 2019, we now have an idea of what it might look like. This is where ESPN+, the long-awaited standalone streaming service from Disney-owned ESPN, comes in. The new $5-per-month offering, which launches today featuring both live and on-demand content, is the first service to arrive from the Walt Disney Co.'s direct-to-consumer division.
Netflix’s real advantage is that it’s a tech company first
Netflix hasn't been coy about its plans to take over Hollywood. The company has already said it could spend up to $8 billion on content this year alone. But, for all the awards House of Cards and Icarus rack up, one of the reasons Netflix has tasted success so rapidly is its streaming technology. That's an area it has been perfecting in-house since 2010, when it became more than a simple mail-order DVD rental shop.
Disney hires former Apple, Samsung exec for its streaming service
As Disney prepares for its streaming service that's launching next year, Variety reports it has snagged an executive to run operations. Kevin Swint (LinkedIn) worked at Apple for five years, eventually running its iTunes movies business worldwide, before managing content and launching Milk Video at Samsung. Now, as the SVP and GM of Disney's BAMTech Media company, he'll be in charge of creating and running the company's new Netflix competitor. The new service will be home to Disney's new releases from 2019 on, including Star Wars and Marvel flicks, and could add considerable additional content if its purchase of Fox becomes official. We don't have many details about it yet, however, CEO Bob Iger said during an earnings call that at launch, it will be priced cheaper than Netflix.
ESPN will roll out a streaming service that bypasses cable
Today The Walt Disney Company released its quarterly earnings report, but the most interesting news has to do with ESPN. Disney confirmed reports it's making a $1 billion investment in BAMTech, a spinoff from MLB's Advanced Media business that, among other things, works on technology for streaming video services like HBO Now. The big news, however, is that BAMTech is working on ESPN with a "direct to consumer" (read: you won't need cable or satellite to get it) "ESPN-branded multi-sport subscription streaming service."
