Disney to Kick Off an ESPN Streaming Service in 2018
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The Walt Disney Co. on Tuesday announced it has accelerated its investment in BAMTech, the live-streaming company spun off by Major League Baseball Advanced Media, paving the way for the Mouse House to jumpstart the launch of ESPN’s long-awaited direct-to-consumer service.
Speaking to investors during Disney’s third quarter earnings call, chairman and CEO Bob Iger said the $1.6 billion acquisition of a majority stake in BAMTech will give the media giant stewardship over the “most robust live-streaming platform out there,” which in turn paves the way for the rollout of ESPN’s upcoming over-the-top service and a second Disney-branded movie-and-TV service.
The ESPN OTT offering will roll out in early 2018, and in its first year of operation will provide subscribers with some 10,000 live sporting events that would not otherwise be available via ESPN’s traditional TV networks. In the early going, the multi-sport OTT package will include live games from three major league sports leagues (MLB, NHL, Major League Soccer), as well as various college sports and Grand Slam tennis action.
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