On Wednesday, ESPN held a special Media Day at its headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut, where it revealed lots of news, including signing a new deal for the US Open and the introduction of “Where To Watch” feature.

During the day, ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro spoke with the media and shared some information on the upcoming launch of its new direct-to-consumer version of ESPN, which they have given the codename “Flagship”.   This latest version of ESPN will be available as its own stand-alone app and will also be available within Disney+.  This will be the ultimate streaming version of ESPN, since it will include all of the live channels, without the need for cable, in addition to all of the content from ESPN+.

The new “Flagship” will offer many new features, including fantasy sports and betting.  Jimmy also confirmed that “Flagship” will be priced between $11.99 (the current price of ESPN+) and the full pay-TV package, which is pretty vague, but it’s expected to be around $25. 

ESPN is also looking to take advantage of changes within the sports industry with the collapse of the regional sports network model and is looking to start include more regional and local games.

“We very much believe that Flagship should be part of the solution,.  If you’re part of the ESPN environment, we can geotarget you, recognize where you are and serve you local, in-market game.    We’ve made that point to various leagues and commissioners that we are very interested in stepping up.  It doesn’t necessarily have to be in connection with Flagship. It can be an upsell as part of Flagship. We can make these games available in the ESPN app.”

Jimmy also explained that the new “Flagship” will be able to “geotarget” subscribers to its streaming services and make games available to people in specific markets, which might also link into their new “Where To Watch” feature, highlighting where you can catch local content.

Disney has been trying to get global streaming rights for most sports, but it also recognises that local sports content is just as important to viewers.

Roger’s Take:  Disney is getting ready for a big shift for ESPN to streaming since the cable business is collapsing, and the old way of charging every cable customer for sports programming, regardless of whether they want to watch it or not, isn’t going to last, as streaming enters a new era.  The new “Flagship” version of ESPN is no doubt a huge priority (which kinda makes a point of launching Venu Sports an unnecessary distraction), and we are starting to see how Disney knows sports is one thing they can utilise to push their streaming business.   Sports is an expensive business and people who want to watch are likely going to have to pay more, now that everybody else won’t pay for it, but it’s also going to be a major part of Disney+ in the future, as the ESPN hub is likely going to be one of the most popular areas within the app.

Do you want to see more sports on Disney+?  Let me know on social media!

Roger Palmer

Roger has been a Disney fan since he was a kid and this interest has grown over the years. He has visited Disney Parks around the globe and has a vast collection of Disney movies and collectibles. He is the owner of What's On Disney Plus & DisKingdom. Email: Roger@WhatsOnDisneyPlus.com Twitter: Twitter.com/RogPalmerUK Facebook: Facebook.com/rogpalmeruk

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