History of ESPN+ in Timeline

By Popular Timelines Editorial Team · Updated: March 12, 2026

ESPN+ is a direct-to-consumer streaming service owned by ESPN Inc. (a joint venture between Disney, Hearst, and the NFL). Launched in April 2018, it offers a variety of sports programming not available on ESPN's traditional television channels. It serves as an extension of the ESPN brand, providing additional content and live games.

March 14, 2018: ESPN+ Placed into Disney Business Segment

On March 14, 2018, ESPN+ and BAMTech were placed into the newly formed Disney business segment, Disney Direct-to-Consumer and International.

April 2, 2018: ESPN+ Launch Date and Pricing Announced

On April 2, 2018, ESPN announced that ESPN+ would officially launch on April 12, 2018, and confirmed its $4.99 per-month pricing.

April 12, 2018: ESPN+ Launch

On April 12, 2018, ESPN+ officially launched as a streaming-only sports programming service distributed through the ESPN direct-to-consumer streaming service.

May 2018: UFC Announces Rights Deal with ESPN

In May 2018, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) announced a new five-year digital and linear television rights deal with ESPN, effective January 2019. As part of this deal, 20 UFC on ESPN+ Fight Night cards per year would be streamed exclusively by ESPN+.

August 21, 2018: ESPN Insider Discontinued and Folded Into ESPN+

On August 21, 2018, ESPN.com's existing subscription service ESPN Insider was discontinued and folded into ESPN+, adding its premium web content to the service.

October 2018: ESPN+ Obtains Rights for Swedish Allsvenskan and Danish Superliga

In October 2018, ESPN+ obtained the rights for the Swedish Allsvenskan and the Danish Superliga and intended to broadcast one match per week for each league.

October 31, 2018: Russell Wolff Named Executive Vice President and General Manager of ESPN+

On October 31, 2018, ESPN executive Russell Wolff was named executive vice president and general manager of ESPN+.

January 2019: UFC Rights Deal with ESPN Takes Effect

In January 2019, the five-year digital and linear television rights deal between Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and ESPN, announced in May 2018, became effective. As part of this deal, 20 UFC on ESPN+ Fight Night cards per year are streamed exclusively by ESPN+.

March 2019: American Athletic Conference Media Rights Deal with ESPN

In March 2019, the American Athletic Conference announced a 12-year media rights deal with ESPN, with ESPN+ carrying the majority of events not aired by ESPN's linear channels.

March 18, 2019: ESPN+ Becomes Exclusive U.S. Distributor of UFC PPV Events

On March 18, 2019, ESPN reached a two-year extension of its contract with the UFC. Beginning with UFC 236, ESPN+ became the exclusive U.S. distributor of all UFC pay-per-view events for residential customers.

May 2019: ESPN+ to Carry World TeamTennis Matches

In May 2019, it was announced that ESPN+ would carry 18 World TeamTennis matches.

September 2019: ESPN+ Acquires Rights to Bundesliga Soccer League

In September 2019, ESPN+ announced its acquisition of rights to Germany's Bundesliga soccer league beginning in 2020, under a six-year deal.

November 12, 2019: Disney Bundle Introduced

Concurrent with the launch of Disney+ on November 12, 2019, the Disney Bundle was introduced, allowing users to subscribe to ESPN+, Disney+ and the ad-supported tier of Hulu for $12.99 per month.

October 22, 2020: ESPN.com Articles Paywalled and Radio Programs Moved to ESPN+

On October 22, 2020, it was announced that a larger amount of ESPN.com articles would become paywalled behind ESPN+. Also, video simulcasts of ESPN Radio programs like The Dan Le Batard Show, Greeny, The Max Kellerman Show, Chiney & Golic Jr., and Jorge Ramos y Su Banda moved exclusively to ESPN+.

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2020: ESPN+ Aired Squeeze Play During MLB Wild Card Series

During the 2020 Major League Baseball season's Wild Card Series round, ESPN+ aired Squeeze Play, featuring live look-ins and analysis of the seven series ESPN held rights to.

January 2021: ESPN+ Offers Commercial Subscription for Businesses

In January 2021, Joe Hand Promotions began offering a commercial subscription of ESPN+ for Business, a version of ESPN+ that offers limited live sports content via DirecTV to commercial establishments.

February 2021: ESPN+ Obtains Rights for Belgian Pro League

In February 2021, ESPN+ obtained the rights for the Belgian Pro League, expecting to broadcast 3 matches per week.

March 10, 2021: ESPN Re-acquires Rights to National Hockey League

On March 10, 2021, ESPN re-acquired rights to the National Hockey League under a new seven-year deal beginning in the 2021–22 season. Under this contract, ESPN+ holds exclusive rights to at least 50 games per-season, which are also available on Hulu, simulcast rights to select ESPN games and all games on ABC.

March 2021: ESPN+ Programming Available via Hulu

In March 2021, ESPN+ programming became available via the Hulu website and apps for subscribers to both services, through a branded "ESPN+ on Hulu" hub.

September 2021: Hotstar Content Migrated to ESPN+ and Hulu

In September 2021, Disney began winding down the U.S. version of Hotstar and migrated its content, including rights to home matches of the India national cricket team and Indian Premier League, exclusively to ESPN+ and Hulu.

2021: ESPN+ Gains Simulcast Rights to Monday Night Football

In 2021, ESPN+ gained simulcast rights to Monday Night Football broadcasts beginning in the 2021 NFL season as part of ESPN's renewal of its rights to the NFL.

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April 8, 2022: ESPN Livestream Savannah Bananas Games

On April 8, 2022, ESPN announced a deal with the Savannah Bananas to livestream two games of their Banana Ball World Tour on April 8 and 9.

May 2022: ESPN Acquires Third-Tier Media Rights to Oklahoma Sooners Athletics

In May 2022, ESPN announced the acquisition of the third-tier media rights to Oklahoma Sooners athletics. The events will be carried on ESPN+ under the "SoonerVision on ESPN+" branding, and will include one exclusive football game per season.

July 2022: ESPN+ Price Increase Announced

In July 2022, Disney announced that the standalone monthly price of ESPN+ would increase by three dollars, or 43%, to $9.99 per month beginning in late August.

September 2023: ESPN+ Available to Spectrum TV Select Plus Subscribers

Following a carriage agreement with Spectrum in September 2023, ESPN+ became available to Spectrum TV Select Plus subscribers at no additional charge.

December 2024: ESPN+ Programming Available via Disney+

In December 2024, ESPN+ programming became available via the Disney+ website and apps for subscribers to the services, through a branded ESPN hub.

May 2025: ESPN+ Service to Be Subsumed by New ESPN Streaming Service

In May 2025, Disney announced that the ESPN+ service would be effectively subsumed by the new ESPN direct-to-consumer streaming service, with existing subscribers automatically becoming subscribers to the "Select" tier.

August 21, 2025: ESPN+ Becomes Part of New ESPN Streaming Service

On August 21, 2025, ESPN+ became part of the new ESPN direct-to-consumer streaming service, with the previous ESPN+ streaming product rebranded as ESPN Select.