ESPN going all-in with joint U.S. streaming model is good for the modern-day sports consumer By: Zain Bando

ESPN is banking on the future of sports and entertainment media in the United States, making viewing sporting events easier to access than ever before.

Tuesday ushered in a new era of the Worldwide Leader, which will bring the network’s content across tons of mediums, including an unnamed all-in-one streaming service in partnership with FOX and Warner Bros. Discovery.

According to a press release from ESPN, the venture is still in the works but plans to launch this fall. Bob Iger, Chief Executive Officer of the Walt Disney Company, which owns ESPN, said the evolution of streaming media is what made the timing right to expand the company portfolio.

“The launch of this new streaming sports service is a significant moment for Disney and ESPN, a major win for sports fans, and an important step forward for the media business,” Iger said in a statement. “This means the full suite of ESPN channels will be available to consumers alongside the sports programming of other industry leaders as part of a differentiated sports-centric service. I’m grateful to Jimmy Pitaro and the team at ESPN, who are at the forefront of innovating on behalf of consumers to create new offerings with more choice and greater value.”

Iger is correct.

According to PlayToday.co, more and more Americans have continued to cut the cord over the last decade-plus, including over five million customers in the last two years alone.

It was only a matter of time before ESPN got what it wanted. It already holds the rights to select NFL playoff games, Monday Night Football, non-Big Ten college football and the College Football Playoff, men’s and women’s college basketball, the NHL, UFC, PFL and Sunday Night Baseball, to name a few.

Talk about oversaturation in the sports television market. Whether controversial or not, ESPN recognizes its consumer base is changing. DVR is becoming more obsolete for some, while others wait for re-airs of their favorite shows.

But, with live sports, watching the best moments from the best games must be done once. Once it’s over, it’s out of the news cycle, and with technology continuing to evolve, so is the Worldwide Leader.

Ultimately, everyone wins, and while this story is still developing, it won’t be the last all-streaming service that attempts to become the new version of cable television.

Happy cord cutting.