ESPN's DTC offering set for 2025 release

ESPN will launch its flagship DTC service "in either August or the fall of 2025," according to Disney CEO Bob Iger. The service will include "all of ESPN’s programming and feature new personalization and integration with ESPN’s fantasy platforms and ESPN Bet." The date of the launch "has been long anticipated by the sports media world," although the news is "somewhat muted" following Disney’s announcement that ESPN will be available in a new sports bundle with Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery this fall. ESPN "didn’t announce a price" for the flagship DTC service, and Iger "downplayed the prospect of the joint streaming service cannibalizing the ESPN product." He said the two platforms would "offer different features" to sports fans, as the ESPN offering "will have many more features and provide a much more immersive experience for the sports fan than this bundle has" (CNBC.com, 2/7).