Here’s What to Expect from ESPN’s New Subscription Streaming Service

On April 12, ESPN’s new subscription streaming service, which is being marketed as the “premier all-in-one digital sports platform for fans,” will launch.

Upon closer examination, that branding does seem appropriate — provided the viewer is a sports fan who enjoys watching rugby, cricket, tennis, out-of-market MLS games, mid-major college games and a smattering of MLB and NHL action.

ESPN+ promises to provide access to “thousands of live sports events” and it will. What it doesn’t promise is that they’ll be live sports events that the casual fan has an interest in watching.

The content on ESPN+ is so limited that no live event that airs on one of ESPN’s eight cable networks (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN Classic, ESPNews, ESPN Deportes, Longhorn Network, SEC Network) will appear on the platform.

That said, it is the place to go for access to ESPN’s “library of award-winning on-demand programming,” so there’s that.

ESPN+ launches next month at a cost of cost $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year.

Meet your guide

Evan Bleier

Evan is a senior editor with InsideHook who earned a master’s degree in journalism from NYU and has called Brooklyn home since 2006. A fan of Boston sports, Nashville hot chicken and Kentucky bourbon, Evan has had his work published in publications including “Maxim,” Bleacher Report and “The Daily Mail.”