Disney+, Hulu, And ESPN+ Bundle Will Cost $12.99 Per Month
By Ben Pearson/Aug. 6, 2019 3:00 pm EST
The stupid thing here is that Disney is including ESPN+, its struggling sports service, in a subscription plan it knows everyone else wants. That reminds me of the way some other companies do business…oh right, that’s how cable companies work. They built an entire business model on essentially forcing unwanted channels on customers, destroying the idea of an a la carte model and ultimately frustrating customers into cutting the cord entirely. I get it: ESPN has been flailing for years, and Disney needs a way to keep it afloat. If it offered a bundle that just featured Disney+ and Hulu, it would be signing off on ESPN+’s slow demise. I’m jumping for joy at the idea of being able to scroll through the “hundreds of MLB, NHL and MLS games, Grand Slam tennis, Top Rank boxing, PGA Tour golf, college sports, international rugby, cricket, the full library of ESPN Films including 30 for 30, and more” that it offers. (Sarcasm aside, though, several of the 30 for 30 documentaries are genuinely riveting.)
Disney+ launches on November 12, 2019.
Correction: A previous version of this article stated ESPN+ had been operating for years, when in fact, it launched in April of 2018. The article has been updated to reflect that.
