ESPN announces name, price of planned streaming service

Sports broadcaster ESPN plans to launch a streaming service that will offer all of the programming available on its linear television networks, the outlet announced on Tuesday.

The new streaming service will appear under the title "ESPN" and cost subscribers $29.99 per month or $299.99 per year, ESPN said.

Disney is the parent company of both ESPN and ABC News.

"We are providing everything ESPN has to offer directly to fans and all in one place," ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro said in a statement.

"Our straightforward approach to name and pricing will help fans cut through the clutter, and provide them compelling options to access all our content within the enhanced ESPN App," Pitaro added.

A lower-priced, limited option of the ESPN App will cost $11.99 per month or $119.99 per year.

A bundled Disney+, Hulu and ESPN offering will be made available at $35.99 per month with ads or $49.99 per month without ads, ESPN said.

The ESPN streaming service will include programming from the network's array of channels such as ESPN, ESPN2 and the SEC Network, among others. Original programming, documentaries and studio shows like "The Pat McAfee Show" will also be accessible for unlimited subscribers.

Beset by cord-cutting that threatens its mainstay traditional TV business, Disney has grown the audience for its bundle of streaming services.

Disney added 1.4 million subscribers to its streaming service Disney+ during its most recent quarter, bringing total global subscribers to 126 million, the company said last month. The company had expected a decline in subscribers over the three-month period.

Speaking on an earnings call last week, Disney CEO Bob Iger touted the ESPN streaming service as a means of reaching viewers on all platforms, especially young viewers.

"The more ESPN can be present for a new generation of consumers with a product that serves them really well, the better off ESPN's business is," Iger added.

Iger said the streaming service would include opportunities for betting and fantasy sports, helping distinguish it from the broadcaster's linear television offering.

The app, Iger said, is "essentially a much bigger offering in terms of product programming than the linear channels currently offer."

Disney is the parent company of ESPN and this station.