Disney adds to sports streaming war chest with ESPN/Fox bundle priced at $39.99 per month

The new bundle combines ESPN’s highly anticipated direct-to-consumer (DTC) platform with Fox’s newly branded Fox One streaming service. Both ESPN DTC and Fox One will launch individually on August 21, with standalone prices of $29.99 per month for ESPN and $19.99 per month for Fox One, meaning the bundle saves $10 per month for people who would get each independently.

Subscribers will gain access to all of ESPN’s live channels—including ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN on ABC—plus ESPN+, SEC Network+, and ACC Network Extra. Fox One wraps in Fox’s suite of brands, delivering FS1, FS2, Fox local stations, and many others.

The joint bundle’s centerpiece is live coverage of major sports leagues and events: NFL, NBA, WNBA, MLB, NHL, college football and basketball, NASCAR, INDYCAR, UFC, and the upcoming FIFA World Cup. ESPN covers roughly 47,000 live events each year, including through replays, original programming, studio shows, and expanded NFL content. This makes the new streaming combo one of the most complete options for die-hard sports fans who want flexibility and volume but have no interest in legacy cable.

Tony Billetter, SVP of strategy and business development for Fox One, said “viewers will have access to an incredible portfolio of content through this bundle.” He added both companies would “continue to look for opportunities to streamline the user experience, especially for the ultimate sports fan.”

Background and industry implications

This bundle arrives in the wake of Venu Sports, a failed joint streaming venture between Disney (ESPN), Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery, which was shelved after antitrust challenges and internal strategy shifts.

The move reflects broader shifts in media, as more consumers ditch cable in favor of streaming. Days earlier, Disney unveiled a mixed earnings report along with an arsenal of sports-streaming assets, especially its spotlight deal with the NFL to absorb the league into ESPN’s ownership structure while acquiring several NFL properties. Amazon Prime and Netflix both have NFL games as of 2024, and both are massive rivals to Disney in every regard with respect to streaming, making sports a key lever in the battle for eyeballs and engagement.

It is unclear whether the ESPN/Fox bundle will face antitrust review, but Reuters reported that ESPN’s tie-up with the NFL is expected to face scrutiny, citing a source familiar with the matter. Disney has settled a lawsuit with the Trump administration while News Corp. faces a pending lawsuit, related to The Wall Street Journal‘s reporting on President Donald Trump’s alleged friendship with Jeffrey Epstein. It is unclear whether the resolution of a lawsuit by News Corp. would have any impact on a sports streaming bundle, but the example of Paramount shows that the settlement of Trump lawsuits can coincide with seemingly unrelated, significant impacts elsewhere in the business.

For this story, Fortune used generative AI to help with an initial draft. An editor verified the accuracy of the information before publishing.