ESPN’s New Cord-Cutting Plan … Actually Sounds Like a Pretty Good Deal

All the sports, anywhere, for just $5 a month

February 7, 2018 9:00 am

Netflix. HBO Go. Hulu.

All services that have become integral for the hundreds of thousands of Americans who identify as cable-eschewing “cord-cutters.”

And now you can add ESPN to their esteemed ranks.

Disney Chairman and CEO Bob Iger just announced plans to debut “ESPN Plus” this spring, a $4.99 per month service that will offer an eclectic list of sports programming … with potentially 10,000 live events that aren’t offered on ESPN’s established TV channels.

So, is it worth it? One development that makes this a potential game-changer (no pun intended) is a $50+ billion entertainment-acquisition proposition Disney made to 21st Century Fox back in December. That deal, once it’s official, would include 22 of Fox’s regional sports networks, for a combined 44 MLB, NHL and NBA franchises. For those who prefer to have a game on at all times, this could mean Valhalla.

Still, with all the coin we spend on streaming services starting to add up (especially at a time when Amazon is planning a Lord of the Rings series and Disney is set to to launch its own service in 2019), we may soon be lamenting the death of cable bundles.

But I’ll set some Abe Lincolns aside just in case. 

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