Disney+ is going to start adding free ESPN content to the streaming service

The move is part of Disney's broader effort to consolidate its various streaming services

By Joe Allen Published November 14, 2024

ESPN

Disney is about to make a subscription to Disney+ even more enticing. Reporting suggests that Disney+ will add a new tile to the streaming service beginning in December that has content from ESPN. The company will reportedly add some live sporting events as well as some ESPN shows to Disney+, even for those who don’t subscribe to ESPN+.

The change will be implemented on Dec. 4, and the new title will allow people who subscribe to Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ “full access to all of the ESPN+ sports content they love while inside Disney+, similar to the experience we offer bundle subscribers with Hulu on Disney+,” CEO Bob Iger and CFO Hugh Johnston said in commentary provided with the September quarterly results.

Recommended Videos

Even if you don’t subscribe to ESPN+, though, Disney is planning to add the tile to entice them to subscribe. “We will also make select ESPN content available to all Disney+ subscribers, including certain live sports events and games, as well as studio shows, series and documentaries,” Iger and Johnston explained.

The move is just the latest step toward consolidating all of Disney’s content on Disney+. Hulu content is also available on Disney+ for those who subscribe to both services.

Disney is also planning to launch a standalone ESPN streaming service in 2025, which will include all of the content that airs on ESPN, as well as some additional content. If you subscribe to ESPN Flagship, which will be the name of the new service, and Disney+, you will get access to all of the content through Disney+. ESPN Flagship does not currently have a subscription price.

Topics

Streaming

Contributor

Joe Allen is a freelance culture writer based in upstate New York. His work has been published in The Washington Post, The…

Culture

8 high-stakes shows like Squid Game you can’t miss

Death, drama, and game shows are quite a mix in these Squid Game-like series

The cast of season 3 of Squid Game.

Squid Game surely superseded any expectations the creators had when the South Korean drama series premiered in 2021. Now the most popular show in the history of Netflix, the series follows a group of desperate contestants who will sacrifice anything to win a massive cash prize in a long line of lethal games and activities. The concept seems more like something that would be on reality TV than scripted, but the creators more than make everything work. Squid Game is able to grapple with a lot of thought-provoking issues while never shying away from addicting devices and unique episodes that beg to keep viewers hooked to the screen all night long.

There's nothing exactly like Squid Game, or at least nothing that has equaled it in popularity. We've dove into the deepest parts of the TV landscape to find series that resemble the South Korean phenomenon in the way they create drama, the setting they take place in, or the genre elements they imitate. These are shows like Squid Game that you need to watch right away.

Culture

8 must-see shows like The Righteous Gemstones

This dark comedy is hard to copy, but we have some similar hits

Arden Myrin, Walton Goggins, and Valyn Hall

The Righteous Gemstones just launched its fourth and final season on HBO and Max, and fans are buzzing about the series' potential to have a historically great final run. With a score of 91 on Metacritic, analysts are rejoicing at the return of television's most famous current evangelical family. Starring and created by Danny McBride, this show is a tragically humorous look into the darkness of cults as the Gemstone family fights one another while trying to stay relevant as a religious entity. Other great actors include John Goodman, Walton Goggins, and Adam DeVine.

There aren't many shows on TV that have ever been quite like The Righteous Gemstones. The show understands the hypocrisies of organized religion while also playing into the family drama that's included in staying devoted to a deity. Over-the-top humor and a huge courage to not shy away from controversial humor make the series a completely unique story. Even if there's no perfect parallel, there are similar shows to indulge in between episodes. These are the best shows like The Righteous Gemstones you need to watch right away.

Culture

Paradise season 2: Everything we know so far

The Hulu political thriller has already been renewed for a second season

James Marsden in Paradise

Paradise looked like it could be something special from the jump. It stars Sterling K. Brown as a secret service agent who forms a bond with the President of the United States across a several-year stretch by his side. One day, the Commander in Chief is found dead in his room and Brown's character becomes the immediate number-one suspect because of his strained relationship with the President and his proximity to the investigation. The show isn't just a race to identify the murderer, though. The plot is also set against a dystopian backdrop as the main characters live under an experimental dome in Colorado under a new type of governmental regime.

The series became a hit and one of the best original series on Hulu shortly after its premiere in January 2025. Released on a weekly basis and with the conclusion to season one not even final yet, the streamer renewed Paradise for season 2. While we've already covered the shows you can watch that are just like Paradise, sometimes you don't want a replica. We've got you covered there, too. This is everything we know about Paradise season 2 so far, from the potential release schedule to the actors who will be returning for the sophomore effort on Hulu.
Who will be starring in Paradise season 2?
Paradise | First Official Trailer | Hulu