Update: July 1, 2020: According to The Verge, the monthly price of ESPN Plus will go up from $4.99 to $5.99 for new subscribers in August. The price jump will not affect the current $49.99 annual price. Current subscribers will be able to keep their $4.99 a month price for a year before it goes up for them to $5.99.
If you’re a big sports fanatic and a lover of the many ESPN cable TV sports channels, there’s a good chance that their recently launched streaming service ESPN Plus might be of interest to you. First launched in April 2018, the service now has over two million subscribers. Like other premium video streaming services including Netflix and Hulu, ESPN Plus is a standalone service; you don’t need to be a subscriber to one of its old-fashioned TV channels to access it. That said, this is meant to be complementary to your existing ESPN channels.
In this article, we will go over what ESPN Plus is, how much the service costs, what devices you can watch it on, and what special features, sports, and shows it has.
What is ESPN Plus?
So what exactly is ESPN Plus? In short, it is a service built directly into the ESPN app and works across a multitude of devices with both live and taped coverage of various sports events as well as original shows and specials that are only available on the service. However, it does not feature access to the company’s traditional cable TV shows like SportsCenter.
Where can I watch the service?
ESPN Plus is available, again via the standard ESPN app, across Android phones and tablets, the iPhone and iPad, Apple TV, Chromecast, PlayStation, Xbox One, Roku, Oculus Go, and Amazon’s Fire TV & Fire Tablet. If you have a PC, you can also access it via your favorite web browser on the ESPN.com website.
What does ESPN Plus cost?
You can try the service at no cost to you with a seven-day free trial. If you like what it offers and would like to continue the service, it will cost $4.99 per month or $49.99 if you decide to pay annually. A new report from The Verge states that in August, the monthly price will go up for new customers to $5.99.
You can sign up for ESPN Plus through the ESPN app or directly from ESPN.com, but keep in mind ESPN Plus is currently only available in the United States.
As we mentioned earlier, you can also get the service bundled with Disney Plus and Hulu (with ads) for $12.99 a month.
What can I watch on ESPN Plus?
With ESPN Plus, you’ll be able to view many live sporting events from MLB, MLS, NHL, and major tennis events such as the Grand Slam, US Open, and Australian Open. Other included sports are boxing, rugby, golf, and you’ll also get access to college football, basketball, and more. You’ll also get access to original ESPN content which includes every episode of 30 for 30, E:60, Draft Academy, O.J.: Made in America, and Kobe: Detail — just to name a few. In 2020 it will also begin showing golf tournaments from the PGA.
The UFC mixed martial arts organization now runs its huge pay-per-view events exclusively via ESPN Plus. You will have to spend extra money to watch those events. That includes the upcoming UFC 249 PPV, which is being held on Saturday, May 9. You can learn more about UFC 249 in our feature article, and sign up to watch the main event.
For UFC fans, this new bundle is a great deal. You get a year of ESPN Plus and UFC 249 for only $84.98. That’s a savings of around 25%!
Some of the original shows you can watch on-demand include I’ll Take That Bet, which centers on sports betting, The Fantasy Show, which talks about fantasy football, and Always Late with Katie Nolan, a weekly comedy-talk show on sports.
What are some of its other features?
Signing up for the service means you won’t have to deal with display ads or any pre-roll or post-roll ads on any videos you watch on the ESPN app. The only ads you’ll really run into are the ones that occur during the live program, as you would if you were watching it on TV.
Other benefits include the ability to pause and rewind live games, full-game replays on-demand, and up to five simultaneous streams are allowed per ESPN Plus account. Videos are streamed at HD quality at 60 frames-per-second. As mentioned earlier, ESPN Plus is a complimentary service and won’t satisfy all of your sports needs unless you don’t watch the NFL or NBA. You’ll still need the regular ESPN cable channel to view those games live.
That’s basically the gist of everything you need to know about ESPN Plus and what you’re gaining by signing up for the service. You can read more about the service through their official website, and their FAQ page should answer any lingering questions you may have. If you decide to give it a try or have tried the service, let us know what you think about it by sounding off down below!