ESPN, NBC, Amazon, and Netflix Sports Programming Lineup

This week is Media Upfronts week, a time when major media companies showcase their upcoming sports programming. Sports have become a big deal for these companies, mostly because of the ad revenue they bring in. That’s the focus of Upfronts week. I had the opportunity to attend many of the major media company presentations and chat with some executives and talent on the side. Let me share some of the key things I learned.

Let’s start with Disney, which made a big splash with the announcement of their new ESPN streaming service, simply called ESPN. The service will cost $29.99 per month, which wasn’t surprising since I had reported it would be around $25-$30 a month. However, what was unexpected were the bundling discounts. For customers who sign up at launch, they’ll get Disney+ and Hulu for free along with ESPN for 12 months. After that, the bundle will cost $35.99 per month, just $6 more than ESPN alone. Disney is offering this bundle to reduce the rate of people canceling their streaming services, also known as “churn.” By making the bundle more cost-effective than purchasing the services separately, Disney hopes to keep more customers engaged.

ESPN is also looking to convert its 24 million ESPN+ subscribers into ESPN customers. To do this, they will essentially make ESPN+ an entry-level tier of ESPN, priced at $11.99 per month for a smaller selection of live events. They are focusing on upselling these subscribers to the new bundle at an attractive price to keep them engaged.

It’s clear that Disney is putting a lot of focus on ESPN these days. During their presentation, they showcased current and former NFL stars like Saquon Barkley, Pat Mahomes, Eli Manning, and Peyton Manning, along with CEO Bob Iger. Disney is keen on retaining UFC rights but may not be willing to pay the league’s asking price of $1 billion per year. This could lead to a situation where UFC splits its rights among multiple media partners. The same could happen with F1, which ESPN is still interested in, particularly the U.S. streaming rights.

Moving on to NBCUniversal, the big news was the addition of Michael Jordan to the NBA on NBC broadcasts for next season. Jordan will be a “special contributor,” but the specifics of his role are still unclear. The initial plan is for Jordan to appear in taped segments during the season to provide analysis.

Overall, it’s clear that sports programming is a significant focus for major media companies right now, with each one making moves to secure rights and retain viewers. These are exciting times for sports fans and streaming entertainment enthusiasts alike.