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ESPN is a globally known network that covers many sports, has a long history, and is well respected. Many people have ESP and find it helpful in their favorite sports. This is why tuning into ESPN is like having ESP for all the sports you care about.
While ESPN was originally designed as a sports news and information service, it has since expanded to provide a streaming service that includes live sporting events. This service is highly beneficial for people who want to stay up-to-date on all the sports they care about.
Although it may not be possible to watch every play occur in real-time, there are premium services available which allow you to follow along with highlights from every game. ESPN Plus is one such service; it is definitely worth consideration for sports fans who want the best possible coverage of their favorite games.
That being said, there are many sports streaming services out there to choose from, so it can be difficult to decide which one is right for you. First of all, you'll want to take a look at the streaming service and learn more about it. Then, you'll have to decide how much the monthly charge costs. So without further ado, let's explore one of the top premium sports streaming services on the market.
History
In August of 2016, The Walt Disney Corporation acquired a minority stake in BAMTech, an offshoot of MLB Advanced Media?s streaming technology endeavor. This purchase came with the option to acquire a majority share down the road if the investment proved to pan out the way that the Disney execs thought it might. Around the same time, however, it was also announced that ESPN had designs to develop an over-the-top streaming service. This project was described at the time as an exploratory OTT project.
ESPN had been using BAMTech's technology for its Watch ESPN service, it was revealed. Disney CEO Bob Iger acknowledged this at the time, saying that despite declining profits in the cable television industry due to cord-cutting, "live sports has really thrived, even in a world where there are so many more things to do and watch."
Fast forward to August of 2017, Disney invoked its right to acquire a majority stake in BAMTech. This announcement was bundled with the announcement that they would also be launching ESPN?s OTT streaming service in 2018 (which was to be followed by Disney?s own OTT service in 2019, which would become Disney Plus).
Disney claimed that their ESPN streaming service would draw content from their ESPN-owned rights to sports broadcasts. This redesign and redistribution of content of the ESPN app would make ESPN Plus the "premier digital destination for sports content." Disney continued their gradual digital media takeover over the following few years.
In December of 2017, Disney announced its acquisition of 20th Century Fox. This allowed ESPN Plus to include content owned by the Fox Sports Network (and all regional divisions). Ultimately, though, this plan would lead Disney to be legally obligated to abandon parts of the Fox Sports Network acquisition due to antitrust laws.
Despite some public outcry, ESPN Plus continues to be one of the most popular, if not the most popular, premium digital streaming services on the market. In February of 2018, Disney CEO Bob Iger announced that ESPN Plus would have one of the most expensive monthly fees in the premium streaming world at $4.99/month. And after some restructuring within Disney - including separation of BamTech and ESPN Plus into a newly founded division within Disney called Disney Direct to Consumer and International - on April 2nd, 2018, ESPN confirmed that ESPN Plus will officially launch on April 12th at $4.99/month.
On August 21, 2018, ESPN announced that it had successfully merged its preexisting ESPN premium subscription service under ESPN Plus. This added access to the premium members? section of ESPN.com (including exclusive stories, and advanced sports statistics and analytics tools). ESPN Insider users, who had subscribed prior to August 21st, were grandfathered into ESPN Plus at no additional cost. The $10 difference in annual fees was waved.
Design
As is to be expected with any Disney affiliated service, ESPN Plus' app design is superb. In fact, for anyone who has seen Disney Plus before, ESPN Plus should look rather familiar. Similar, of course, to the classic Netflix layout (with thumbnails of content to choose from that is organized by categories), ESPN Plus has opted for a larger icon layout. I like the way that ESPN Plus looks--I actually dig the larger thumbnails--I think that it makes for a slightly more immersive experience.ESPN (and Disney) Plus always felt less like I am browsing a library of episodes and more like I am somehow interacting with different content options.
Overall, from an aesthetic standpoint, I would say that the design of ESPN Plus is sleek and user-friendly. But even more importantly than that, it is seamless and allows for easy and convenient content browsing. By selecting a certain title, you will be given plenty of information on that title without necessarily having to click into a new page (the same cannot be easily said of Hulu or Netflix?s somewhat clumsy designs). This makes for easy and convenient content browsing, the likes of which are seldom seen, especially when it comes to sports streaming services.
Content
This sports network offers a great blend of live sports broadcasts, exclusive pay per view events, original TV content, and tons of news beats and stats. As far as live TV is concerned, ESPN Plus offers thousands of games, including MLB, NHL, Series A, FA Cup, Top Rank Boxing, and MLS events. Plus it let's you watch Grand Slam Tennis and tons of live broadcasts of all your favorite college-level sports.
With ESPN Plus, you have the ability to watch a variety of ESPN original shows, as well as a number of sports documentaries. You also have access to a library of 30 for 30 films, as well as premium articles, stats, analytics, and exclusive deals on PPV events.
Mobile and Desktop Experience
ESPN Plus is one of the most popular sports apps on the market. Its average rating on the Apple App Store is 4.4 out of 5 stars, and it has been listed as the Editor's Pick. People seem to be very pleased with both the mobile and desktop versions of ESPN Plus. The experience between the 2 is about as seamless as it gets - you can pause content on your Smart TV, for instance, and pick right back up where you left off on your iPhone or Android device. No matter what device you access ESPN Plus on, you'll find a very intuitive and user-friendly experience.
Pricing and Plans
ESPN Plus offers one of the best prices for streaming services. For only $4.99/month, you can get full access to ESPN Plus. You are also welcome to take advantage of a very unique offer. For only $12.99, you can bundle ESPN Plus with Hulu and Disney Plus. And that might just be the best deal on the web - for only a dollar or two more a month than you are paying for Netflix, you can get 3 of the best streaming platforms out there. Can?t go wrong with that package, if you ask me.
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