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ESPN Plus is one of the most popular sports streaming services out there, but what exactly is it? To help you decide whether ESPN Plus is right for your needs, we've answered all of your pressing questions, including how much is ESPN Plus and any available deals on subscriptions.
ESPN offers marquee games and events across various sports at both collegiate and professional levels. The live streaming service offers expansive coverage on things like UFC but has a couple of blind spots when it comes to other sports, like the NBA and WNBA.
As our reviewer pointed out back when ESPN Plus first rose to prominence amid the onslaught of streaming service launches in 2020, the service's value ultimately boils down to your taste in sports. Below, we've broken down all of the service's main features and content, including pricing, plans, and the cost of relevant streaming bundles.
ESPN Plus is a subscription streaming service that focuses on sports. Members can watch live games and exclusive on-demand videos, as well as access written content from what was formerly known as ESPN Insider. Most of the available games and events are broadcast on traditional Disney-owned networks, like ABC, ESPN, ESPN3, and ESPN3, although some games are exclusive to ESPN Plus.
Though ESPN Plus has its own lineup of live sports, on-demand shows, and exclusive programs, the service does not include direct access to the regular ESPN cable channel.
ESPN offers only two plans: monthly and annual. Monthly subscriptions cost $12 per month, and annual subscriptions cost $120 per month. An annual subscription, which means that you're locked into a contract for a year, will save you about 16% each year compared to the price of paying $12 per month for 12 months straight ($144).
If this doesn't seem worth it, ESPN Plus is currently offering a limited-time deal wherein annual plans cost $100. This saves subscribers about 30% at the end of the year when compared to what a year would cost with a month-to-month subscription. The deal runs through Black Friday and Cyber Monday, ending on December 2.
You can combine ESPN Plus with other streaming services for a discounted bundle rate, which we'll break down later in this article. If ESPN Plus doesn't fit your streaming budget, you can find alternatives in our guide to the best sports streaming services.
ESPN Plus includes a ton of sports content, from live games to on-demand shows and exclusive stories. Just like broadcast TV, however, live games are streamed with commercial breaks.
Subscribers can watch select live games from the MLB, NHL, and NFL when their seasons are active. There's also PGA golf, UFC, international soccer, tennis, college football, and college basketball. In fact, this is a great streaming service for college sports fans. On the downside, ESPN Plus does not typically stream live NBA games, which means you'll have to look into a service like Sling TV to follow the NBA season.
In addition to games, ESPN Plus features a library of original shows, including game recaps and analyses hosted by sports stars like Peyton Manning and a shorter version of "NFL Primetime." Documentary programs like "30 for 30" are also available to stream on-demand.
Most ESPN Plus content streams at up to 1080p Full HD resolution, but unlike on Disney Plus and Hulu, 4K resolution streaming is not supported.
Most notably, a live stream of the ESPN channel is not included with ESPN Plus. This is one of the greatest confusions surrounding the app. ESPN Plus is separate from the ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPNews cable networks, so a subscription will not grant you access to live broadcasts of those channels. To get live streaming access to ESPN's cable channels, you must sign up for a live TV streaming service like Sling TV, Hulu + Live TV, or Fubo TV. Check out our guide on how to watch ESPN for a full breakdown of recommendations.
A standard ESPN Plus subscription usually covers early preliminary and preliminary bouts on a UFC fight card, but the main event always requires an additional pay-per-view (PPV) purchase. ESPN Plus functions like a cable PPV broker, so each fight costs an additional $80 PPV fee.
There is a solid savings opportunity when it comes to bundling an annual subscription with a PPV purchase, which we'll dig into below.
There are several bundle options when it comes to ESPN Plus. You can bundle with the other MyDisney properties, Disney Plus and Hulu, for just $17 (Disney Trio Basic) or $27 (Disney Trio Premium) per month, depending on what ad tier you choose. ESPN Plus doesn't have an ad-free option, which is often the case for live sports streaming services, so the Disney Trio Premium only offers ad-free versions of Disney Plus and Hulu.
If you're a UFC fan who doesn't already have a subscription, you can bundle an annual plan with a PPV purchase for a reduced rate of about $135. A standard annual subscription is $120 and a PPV fight is $80, making the total value $200, so the bundle deal offers more than $60 in savings.
ESPN Plus is also included in all Hulu + Live TV subscriptions, which start at $83 per month. This bundle includes Disney Plus and on-demand Hulu.
Right now, there is no way to watch ESPN Plus for free. ESPN Plus used to have a free trial for new members, but this trial option is no longer offered. Likewise, there are no current promotions available with other services outside the standard discounts you get with a Disney Plus Bundle, UFC PPV match purchase, or Hulu + Live TV membership.
Signing up for ESPN Plus is pretty easy. You just need to go to the ESPN Plus website. The landing page advertises the Disney bundle trio, but you can just subscribe to ESPN Plus on its own by clicking the white underlined "Subscribe to ESPN+ only" link right under the bundle promo. No matter which option you click on, you'll be brought to a page that prompts you to "Browse Plans." From there, you just need to log in or sign up with your email.
One of the cool things about ESPN Plus is that you can access it through the regular ESPN app. Instead of launching a separate service, all ESPN Plus content is unlocked in the ESPN app once you subscribe.
The app is available on virtually every platform you can imagine, including phones, tablets, laptops, Roku players, Fire TV products, Apple TV, Android/Google TV, Chromecast, PS4 and PS5, Xbox One and Xbox One X|S, and all of the best TVs.
You can stream most content on up to three devices simultaneously with one account. That said, pay-per-view events are limited to two devices.
Disney, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery have announced plans to launch a new sports streaming service that will bundle each company's sports properties, including ESPN Plus, into one app. The proposed platform will include access to channels like ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SECN, ACCN, ESPNEWS, ABC, Fox, FS1, FS2, BTN, TNT, TBS, and truTV, in addition to content from ESPN Plus.
The service — titled Venu Sports — was initially expected to hit the market this fall, but a lawsuit from Fubo has delayed the release for now.
