The Worldwide Leader In Sports is sprucing up its digital offerings. ESPN has announced its plan to build a subscription video on-demand service powered by Major League Baseball (MLB)’s acclaimed streaming infrastructure.
The upcoming video service doesn’t have a name, but it will not be linked to WatchESPN, which is the most significant digital platform currently offered by the sports network. While WatchESPN requires viewers to log-in with their cable providers before streaming any of its content, the upcoming service will not be linked to a cable subscription and will offer coverage of sporting events that will not air on ESPN’s family of TV channels.
The best analogue for the new service seems to be ESPN360, the platform that eventually evolved into WatchESPN. Back when it was known by that name, ESPN360’s content included some events that required cable and others that did not. The sort of coverage available for free at that time gravitated toward international sports like rugby and cricket as well as sports that hold many matches at once, such as tennis and college football. It should come as no surprise, then, that Bob Iger, the CEO of ESPN owner Disney, mentioned all of those sports when discussing the sort of content subscribers can expect from the upcoming service.
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“As WatchESPN continues to grow and add value to the multichannel video subscription, this new service will be an outstanding complement,” said ESPN president John Skipper in a statement.
The decision to launch a new subscription video service for ESPN comes on the heels of a billion-dollar investment made by Disney in BAMTech, the division that engineers the MLB’s streaming media product. The MLB’s live video player is regarded by many as the best in the business, and companies like the WWE and HBO use it to power their own streaming services. Disney’s investment in that technology will stand as its priciest digital media venture to date, eclipsing its 2013 acquisition of Maker Studios.
