ESPN+ is an OTT sports streaming service in the USA. It is owned by Walt Disney Direct-to-Consumer & International (WDDTCI) and ESPN. Founded in 2018, ESPN+ has become a major player in digital sports coverage. As a premium service with access to ESPN’s vast array of broadcast rights across many sports, ESPN+ has a mix of overflow and exclusive content.
Unlike other online simulcast services, ESPN+ does not provide streams that mirror its sister TV channels, such as ESPN2 or ESPNEWS. Users are able to purchase a subscription to the service on its website or the official ESPN app; however, they are expected to use the service for non-commercial purposes only. Subscribers can access up to three ESPN+ streams concurrently and cast from their mobile device to their TV set. ESPN+ is available on PC, Mac, iOS, Android, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Samsung-connected TVs, Roku, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4. It is also available on Apple TV, although support begins from Generation 3 onwards.
Sports events available on ESPN+ include live college sports, rugby, hockey, mixed martial arts and more. Its history of soccer coverage includes live matches from the Italian Serie A, Coppa Italia, English League Cup, English FA Cup, Dutch Eredivisie, Chinese Super League, Australian A-League and USA Major League Soccer via official streaming service MLS Live.
ESPN+ has also provided live streams in USA for major international soccer tournaments, such as the CONMEBOL Copa America and UEFA Nations League. Accessible from within the ESPN App, ESPN+ subscribers may access content from linear networks like other ESPN App users. Nonetheless, this comes on top of the shows, documentaries and thousands of live events restricted to ESPN+ members only.
