This December, there is plenty of new sporting action for ESPN+, including new games from the NBA, NHL, and college football.

On December 4th, ESPN On Disney+ will be launching in the United States, where it will work slightly how the Hulu On Disney+ add-on worked, bringing all of the content from ESPN+ into the Disney+ app for subscribers to the Disney Streaming Bundle. Select ESPN content will also be available to all Disney+ subscribers.

Here are some highlights:

NBA

• Date/Event: Dec. 14 | 2024 Emirates NBA Cup Semifinals
• Date/Event: Dec. 25 | Five Games & Dunk the Halls

Five NBA Christmas Day games will stream on ESPN+, beginning with Dunk the Halls – the first real-time animated NBA game featuring the New York Knicks and Jalen Brunson hosting the San Antonio Spurs and Victor Wembanyama. The special alt-cast marks the first animated presentation of an NBA game and the first NBA game to stream on Disney+. In addition to the traditional game feed, a dedicated feed presenting an animated Volumetric Alternate Cast “Dunk The Halls” live from Main Street USA at the Magic Kingdom will be available on ESPN+.

Timberwolves at Mavericks will tip off next, followed by 76ers at Celtics, Lakers at Warriors and the Nuggets at Suns.

NBA Christmas Specials

• 12:00 p.m. EST – NBA Christmas Special Presented by State Farm: San Antonio Spurs at New York Knicks – From Madison Square Garden, the New York Knicks and Jalen Brunson host the San Antonio Spurs and Victor Wembanyama in what will be the French sensation’s first Christmas game.
• 2:30 p.m. EST – NBA Christmas Special Presented by State Farm: Minnesota Timberwolves at Dallas Mavericks
  The Dallas Mavericks and Luka Dončić host the Minnesota Timberwolves and Anthony Edwards.
• 5:00 p.m. EST – NBA Christmas Special Presented by State Farm: Philadelphia 76ers at Boston Celtics
  The reigning NBA Champion Boston Celtics and Jayson Tatum host the Philadelphia 76ers and Joel Embiid.
• 8:00 p.m. EST – NBA Christmas Special Presented by State Farm: Los Angeles Lakers at Golden State Warriors
  Icons clash at 8 p.m. as the Golden State Warriors and Stephen Curry host the Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron James.
• 10:30 p.m. EST – NBA Christmas Special Presented by State Farm: Denver Nuggets at Phoenix Suns
  ABC’s NBA Christmas coverage culminates as the Phoenix Suns and Kevin Durant host the Denver Nuggets and Nikola Jokić.

National Hockey League

NHL regular season action on ESPN+ continues in December with nine exclusive games highlighted by the Red Wings at Bruins and Oilers at Knights (Dec. 3), Penguins at Rangers (Dec. 6) and Maple Leafs at Devils (Dec. 10).

In addition to exclusive games on ESPN+/Hulu, 177 out-of-market games will be available through NHL Power Play on ESPN+ in December – included in all ESPN+ subscriptions – throughout the season.

NHL Power Play games include the choice of two separate live streams with either home team or away team commentary, as well as Canadian national presentations of Hockey Night in Canada, providing a local experience for fans no matter where they are in the U.S. Replays of every NHL regular season and playoff game on ABC, ESPN, NHL Network, and TNT are also made available to stream on NHL Power Play on ESPN+.

College

• Date/Event: Dec. 14 Division II Semifinals & Division III Quarterfinals
• Date/Event: Dec. 21 Division II Championship, Division III Semifinals & FCS Semifinals

In December, ESPN+ will stream 87 games including 22 FCS, 27 DII and 38 DIII games.

As the FCS Playoffs get underway, ESPN+ will stream 22 games including eight first-round and eight second-round games, all quarterfinals – including one exclusively on ESPN+ – as well as both semifinals.

For DII, ESPN+ will exclusively stream 12 first-round and eight second-round games, four quarterfinals and both semifinal games. The championship game will also be available on ESPN+.

For DIII, ESPN+ will exclusively stream eight first-round and 16 second-round games, eight third-round matchups, all quarterfinals, both semifinals, and will simulcast the Stagg Bowl in January.

More than 1,330 College Basketball Games on ESPN+ in December

ESPN+ will stream more than 600 men’s and 730 women’s college basketball games in December, including several Top 10 teams and recent national champions. Men’s matchups include Jackson State at No. 5 Iowa State (Dec. 8), Nicholls at No. 3 Gonzaga (Dec. 18), TCU at No. 17 Arizona (Dec. 30) and West Virginia at No. 1 Kansas (Dec. 31). Women’s games to look out for include No. 5 UCLA at Hawaii (Dec. 1), No. 4 Texas at Richmond (Dec. 15), No. 7 LSU at UIC (Dec. 19) and No. 14 Duke at South Florida (Dec. 21) .

UFC

UFC 310: Pantoja vs. Asakura (Pay-Per-View)

• Date: December 7

Reigning Flyweight Champion Alexandre Pantoja faces off against newcomer Kai Asakura to defend his title in the main event title fight of UFC 310 at T-Mobile Arena In Las Vegas in December. Plus, undefeated title contenders meet in the co-main event as Shavkhat Rakhmonov puts his perfect 18-0 record with 18 finishes on the line against unbeaten Irish star Ian Machado Garry. UFC 310 is available exclusively via ESPN+ PPV.

UFC Fight Night:

• Event/Time: Covington vs. Buckley, Dec. 14

Top Rank:

• Event/Time: Navarrete vs. Valdez 2, Dec. 7
• Event/Time: Munguia vs. Surace, Dec. 14
• Event/Time: Inoue vs. Goodman, Dec. 24

Formula 1

Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

ESPN+ will stream the Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix commercial free from the Yas Marina Circuit is on Yas Island, near Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.  The race takes place on December 8th 2024.

Inside The College Football Playoff

• Date: Dec 17 (Ep. 1), Dec. 27 (Ep. 2)

Inside the College Football Playoff is an ESPN Original that gives viewers an exclusive, all-access behind-the-scenes look at the new playoff expansion and elite College Football teams of 2024.

E60: Second Wind: The Boomer and Gunnar Esiason Story

NFL MVP, Monday Night Football commentator and host of the highest-rated sports talk show in New York City, Boomer Esiason has lived in the spotlight. And he’s used his platform to shine a light on his crusade: the search to find a cure for a deadly disease and save his son’s life. A story about hope, human ingenuity, and how a medical miracle changed the lives of a quarterback, his son and thousands around the world.

What are you looking forward to watching on ESPN in December? 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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