ESPN chairman talks new streaming service, what fans can expect from NFL deal
ESPN's new streaming service is here, offering sports fans a way to view their own personalized version of "SportsCenter," among other features.
For ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro, the idea to bring fans a way to watch the network's signature show customized to their own favorite teams and favorite sports came from being a "huge sports fan" himself.
"One of the things I've always craved is a 'SportsCenter' that is tailored to me. So I'm [a fan of] Yankees, Giants, Knicks, Rangers, Notre Dame," Pitaro told ABC News' Will Reeve in an interview that aired Thursday on "Good Morning America." When I fire up 'SportsCenter' in the morning, that's the content that I want first, and we're going to be able to deliver that to millions of sports fans."
The new feature, called "SportsCenter for You," will provide personalized videos specific to a user's interests and will feature the familiar voices of "SportsCenter" anchors, including Hannah Storm and Gary Striewski, thanks to artificial intelligence technology.
In addition to "SportsCenter for You," the newly launched streaming service gives users other options to personalize their experience, including the ability to track fantasy teams in real-time, watch four different games at once and shop and bet while simultaneously watching games, according to ESPN.
Pitaro summed up the enhanced service in three words: "All of ESPN."
"You'll finally be able to get all of the ESPN all in one place," he said. "All of our content, all of our networks available direct-to-consumer for the first time in ESPN's history."
According to Pitaro, the new streaming service offers users access to 47,000 live events, 12 networks and the full slate of ESPN original programming, including "30 for 30," "E:60" and "SC Featured."
In addition, Pitaro said ESPN is also unveiling what he described as a "significantly enhanced" app.
"You'll see fantasy integration, betting integration, commerce integration," he said.
For football fans excited about ESPN's agreement with the National Football League (NFL) announced earlier this month, Pitaro said more is to come there too.
The deal -- which gives the NFL a 10% equity stake in ESPN -- includes the NFL's linear RedZone Channel and NFL Fantasy, two brands that Pitaro said ESPN is planning to expand.
"We will have the opportunity to potentially expand RedZone to other sports, other leagues," he said. "And then fantasy is a huge part of our business ... so our fantasy product will merge with their fantasy product and we will become the official fantasy game of the NFL."
The new ESPN streaming service will appear under the title "ESPN" and cost subscribers $29.99 per month or $299.99 per year, according to ESPN.
A bundled Disney+, Hulu and ESPN offering will be made available for $29.99 over the first 12 months, ESPN said. After that period, the bundled set of three services will cost $35.99 per month with ads or $49.99 per month without ads, ESPN said.
A bundled ESPN and Fox offering, set for release on Oct. 2, will run $39.99 per month. A separate bundle of ESPN and NFL+, which includes NFL RedZone, will be made available on Sept. 3 for $39.99 per month.
A lower-priced version of the streaming service featuring a narrower set of content will cost $11.99 per month or $119.99 per year.
Current cable subscribers can gain full access to the new streaming service after being authorized by their cable provider, company executives said on Tuesday.
However, some cable subscribers -- including those with Comcast Xfinity, YouTube TV, Dish Network, Sling TV and Cox -- will initially be unable to access content broadcast exclusively on the streaming service as ESPN resolves outstanding negotiations.
The Walt Disney Co. is the parent company of ABC News and ESPN.
