Sports had a weird year in 2020, but that hasn't stopped from adding subscribers. The streaming service — which in addition to being the also is where you'll find all kind of live sports that simply don't fit on traditional television — now has a total of 10.3 million subscribers, Disney CEO Bob Chapek announced on Nov. 12 during the company's fourth-quarter and fiscal year-end earnings call.
That's up from 8.5 million subscribers as of Q3, and up from 3.5 million subscribers at the close of the company's fiscal year 2019.
In other words, live sports are as important to streaming as ever.
The increase in subscriptions also comes amid a slight price increase for ESPN+. The service in August grew more expensive by $1 for monthly subscriptions, increasing to $5.99 a month. The annual subscription rate remained $49.99, however, and ESPN+ remains part of a bundle with Hulu and Disney+ that runs $12.99 a month.
On the live front, ESPN+ is where you'll find MLS soccer in the United States, and the Bundesliga from Germany. ESPN+ also plays host to a number of college football games, and it's got featured holes this weekend for The Masters, which was delayed from the spring by the global pandemic.
In addition to live sports, ESPN+ also is home to all sorts of original programming, some of it exclusive to the streaming service. Peyton's Places — starring the NFL Hall of Fame quarterback — returns for Season 2 this month, as do new episodes of 30 For 30. NFL Primetime continues on Sundays, and ESPN+ is still a great source for fantasy football shows.
And ESPN+ is now the exclusive home for studio television programs of The Dan Le Batard with Stugotz, Greeny, Chiney & Golic Jr., and The Max Kellerman Show.
ESPN+ is available on just about every major modern hardware platform, including web browsers, iOS and Android, Roku, Apple TV, Android TV, Xbox and more.
