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'SportsNation' is making a comeback on ESPN+
ESPN has announced that SportsNation is coming back on ESPN+ with three new hosts.
The ESPN+ annual subscription is going up by $10
UFC pay-per-views will also cost $5 more on the streaming service.
ESPN+ will be the exclusive home of some ESPN studio shows
ESPN+ is already one of the better deals out there for sports fans — soccer fans have it particularly good, but there’s a lot there regardless of your interests for $6 a month. ESPN regularly adds new content, and following its corporate parent’s edict to focus on supporting subscription streaming, it’s announcing a pretty major update. As of Monday, November 9th, a handful of ESPN studio shows will be exclusive to ESPN+.
Disney announces a 'strategic reorganization' to focus on streaming
Today Disney unveiled a new corporate structure that divides its content business into three groups that are “responsible and accountable for producing and delivering content for theatrical, linear and streaming, with the primary focus being the Company’s streaming services.” After assembling a warchest of content production with ESPN, ABC, Fox, Lucasfilm, Pixar, Marvel and of course its own Disney properties, the point of the new structure is figuring out the best way to distribute it all. Former president of Consumer Products, Games and Publishing Kareem Daniel has been promoted to oversee the new media distribution group.
ESPN+ will be $1/month more expensive for new subscribers
Existing members won't pay more for at least a year.
Disney now has over 100 million streaming video subscribers
Disney now has over 100 million streaming subscribers, including Disney+, Hulu and ESPN.
FuboTV adds ESPN and other Disney channels to its live TV service
FuboTV will carry ESPN, ABC and other Disney channels on its live TV service, filling one of the few remaining gaps in its lineup.
The biggest Madden Bowl yet was won using run-only plays
The latest Madden Bowl not only had more mainstream coverage than ever, but was won using unusual tactics.
ESPN starts broadcasting the 'Road to the Madden Bowl' this weekend
As real football focuses on the NFL draft, ESPN is devoting five straight hours on Sunday to the Madden Bowl esports competition. This is all leading up to the championship game on May 16th.
ESPN will stream a 'Valorant' tournament today at 3:30PM ET
ESPN is broadcasting a 'Valorant' invitational tourney between April 20th and April 22nd with top esports players involved.
ESPN will give its racing fans an esports fix
With all motorsports on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic — including Formula 1, Formula E and IndyCar — the only experiences available are virtual. Disney’s ESPN is set to elevate that a notch by launching a virtual racing series from Torque Esports.
ESPN will broadcast and stream 'League of Legends' spring playoffs
ESPN is diving deeper into live esports with League of Legends Championship Series broadcasts.
ESPN2 will air 12 hours of esports coverage on April 5th
TV networks are already trying to fill the void in sports coverage left by the COVID-19 pandemic, but ESPN is going all-out. The broadcaster's ESPN2 channel is airing a 12-hour ESPN Esports Day on April 5th starting at 12PM Eastern, and there will be some high-profile live events in the mix. The highlight may be the second F1 Esports Virtual Grand Prix at 3PM, when racers (including some current Formula 1 drivers) will compete online in a digital version of Australia's Albert Park. The marathon will also represent Rocket League's debut on ESPN television (it was only streamed before) with the Season 8 World Championship's Grand Finals broadcasting live at 4:30PM.
NBA reportedly plans 'players-only' 2K tournament that will air on ESPN
The NBA already has an official esports league with various teams represented, but with the live basketball season on hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, it's reportedly about to put real NBA players on the sticks. Yahoo Sports reporter Chris Haynes cites league sources indicating that a 16-player NBA 2K tournament lasting 10 days will begin on Friday, with ESPN set to broadcast it. With sports pretty much shut down around the world, networks are desperate for live content and athletes have nothing to do. So far, NASCAR has made the most noticeable shift to esports with races that it airs on Fox, and now the NBA is apparently ready to follow. Fox also aired a Madden tournament this past weekend, and can likely shift scheduled events around to do even more. Ever since the NBA season was put on hold and the NBA 2K League postponed its activities, teams like the Suns have been livestreaming some games already. But bringing in league stars could put an even bigger spotlight on videogame basketball as a spectator sport. According to Haynes, Demarcus Cousins, who missed almost all of the last two seasons due to injuries, is scheduled to participate, but there's no word on who else may be in, even with a league full of known gamers who occasionally hop on live stream. Players Like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Paul George, LeBron James and Anthony Davis have been on the 2K cover in recent years, but now we might find out who can actually play at a high level.
ESPN+ will be the home of PGA Tour's streaming service in 2022
You might end up paying less to stream live golf tourneys in the future. As part of a larger media deal, PGA Tour Live will be included as part of the ESPN+ base package starting in 2022 -- it'll be the only place you can use it in the US, in fact. The service will grow as part of the arrangement, too, with multiple live streams available for "nearly every week" of the FedExCup season. This includes 36 tourneys, "at least" 28 of which will get four days of coverage. You can also expect the usual on-demand replays, recaps and original programming.
Disney+ has already netted 28.6 million subscribers
Disney's start on direct-to-customer streaming came out of the gate with the bang, as the company reported it had 26.5 million paid subscribers for Disney+ (PDF) by the end of 2019. ESPN+ grew to 6.6 million subscribers from 1.4 million last year, while Hulu has 30 million customers total, with 3.2 million of them signing up for live TV services. On a call with investors, CEO Bob Iger reported that Disney+ is still growing, and is up to 28.6 million customers worldwide as of Monday. Iger also announced that Disney+ will launch in India via the company's HotStar service and said Hulu could launch internationally in 2021. On the call with investors, Iger specified that season two of The Mandalorian will debut in October, as well as shows the MCU shows it featured in Super Bowl ads. Falcon and the Winter Soldier will launch in August, and Wandavision arrives in December. He also said that the Star Wars show will run beyond two seasons, with a possibility of "infusing it with more characters and taking those characters in their own direction in terms of series." Executives said they don't expect the next "significant" domestic growth to happen until those series launch. According to the CEO, people weren't just watching the viral series, with over 65 percent of viewers watching ten other things on the platform. Interestingly, he also said that the current priority of Star War is TV as opposed to theatrical releases.
ESPN's 4K National Championship broadcast airs on Comcast, DirecTV and Altice
Back in October ESPN started broadcasting college football in 4K, and now it's time for the National Championship Game. For tonight's matchup between LSU and Clemson the network will present a Samsung-sponsored feed from the Field Pass view -- with "free flowing commentary of the game" and SkyCam angle in Ultra HD. There's still no HDR in the broadcast yet, but viewers with appropriate setups from Comcast, DirecTV and Altice can tune in. Hopefully the broadcast won't suffer from any glitches, as Awful Announcing pointed out the the Cotton Bowl on New Year's Day ran into numerous "technical difficulties" for DirecTV viewers.
Sling TV's Cloud DVR can finally record ESPN
You no longer have to worry that you'll miss out on a big sports extravaganza just because you're a Sling TV subscriber. The cord-cutter service has switched on Cloud DVR for key ESPN channels, including the main channel, ESPN2, Desportes, Bases Loaded, Goal Line, ACC Network and SEC Network. There's a good chance you can catch that big college basketball match game if you know you'll miss the live match. This doesn't extend to digital-only channels like ESPN3, ACC Network Extra and SEC Network+, however, so you'll still need to tune for some programming.
Disney+ is boosting its library by running a Starz ad (update)
When you first launch Disney+ after it becomes available next early week, you might find something that wasn't supposed to be there. According to The Verge, the streaming service will show some subscribers an ad promoting premium TV channel Starz after they finish the initial sign-up process. Disney confirmed to Engadget that the one-time promo will be shown to some users once they finish signing up for the service and entering payment details.
Watch ESPN's first native 4K game Saturday -- if you have DirecTV or Comcast
By now we've seen Ultra HD TV broadcasts of sports and other content, but for the first time ESPN is getting into the game. The network just confirmed that Saturday night's college football matchup between Florida and LSU at 8PM ET will be the first one it ever broadcasts live in native 4K resolution. The only problem now is that the only way to watch this broadcast is via DirecTV with the right equipment. ESPN's 4K productions in the future may be available via more distributors, but so far only the one satellite broadcaster has signed on. The broadcast is the first of six planned college football 4K events this year under the "Samsung QLED 4K Game of the Week" banner, which will include a 4K feed of the National Championship BCS game on January 13th, 2020. Unlike Fox's recent (upscaled from 1080p) NFL broadcasts, there won't be any use of HDR, but it is high resolution. Also unlike Fox, ESPN isn't using its apps -- or even Samsung's apps -- to stream the game in 4K, which seems like an unfortunate missed opportunity when the network has been preparing to handle 4K for many years now. Hopefully all goes well, and this doesn't end up like its 3D push that shut down after a couple of years due to a lack of adoption. Update (10/11, 7:14 PM ET): Comcast has also signed on to distribute the first live ESPN 4K broadcast, so if you have one of the cable company's Ultra HD boxes then you should be able to watch too. Additionally, ESPN informed Sports Video Group that along with the 4K game feed, it's also providing an Atmos audio stream.