ESPN, FOX Launch Streaming Bundle: Why It Matters for Football, Sports Fans
Streamers are launching and joining up left and right these days, but the latest partnership should make things easier for sports fans this fall.
This week, ESPN and FOX announced a streaming bundle offer for their upcoming direct-to-consumer (DTC) streaming services. Starting October 2, subscribers can stream the ESPN DTC service and FOX One together for only $39.99 per month. Check out our past ESPN/FOX One coverage or keep scrolling to learn more.
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What comes with ESPN and FOX One?
ESPN and FOX’s DTC streaming services are designed to deliver all their sports programming straight to subscribers without going through a cable company. Here’s a smattering of included channels that the networks have announced so far.
ESPN and FOX standalone streaming prices and channels
| Service | Price | Featured channels |
|---|---|---|
| ESPN (DTC) | $29.99/mo. | ESPN Networks, ESPN on ABC, ACC Network, SEC Network |
| FOX One | $19.99/mo. | FOX Local, FS1, FS2, Big Ten Network, Fox News |
Why ESPN, FOX are bundling up
Live sports are one of the key drivers for streaming and cable TV providers alike, but sports-focused live streaming bundles have generally failed to stick the landing. Skinny bundles from providers like DIRECTV and Sling TV have limited channel counts and high pricing, while Venu Sports—the proposed joint service between Disney, Fox Corporation, and Warner Bros. Discovery—never made it off the launch pad due to legal and antitrust issues.
ESPN DTC and FOX One’s key advantages over these predecessors are that they know what they’re not. Neither service is designed to be a live TV replacement—you won’t find much local news or cartoons except on your local FOX affiliate station.
Instead, you’ll get a bespoke streaming product, as both services carry every FOX and ESPN sports channel. Plus, you won’t have to pay additional fees for second-tier networks like Big Ten Network or ACC Network. The bundle’s per-service price puts it in line with regular streamers like HBO Max and Netflix.
That said, this partnership has some limits for subscribers. Although both services launch on August 21, the bundle deal won’t be available until midseason in October. That means that subscribers will have to pay for both services separately (or find an alternative) until then.
What it means for sports fans
Streaming bundles are nothing new, as you can get practically every streamer as part of a bundle from your internet or cell phone provider. But sports streaming services and bundles are untapped territory for these networks because they’ve long been hamstrung by not wanting to anger their cable TV partners.
Network-based sports streaming still has some way to go before it resolves its consolidation problem. (Consider all the sports split between Peacock, Prime Video, Netflix, and others, for starters.) But as streaming increasingly becomes the native TV platform for subscribers, expect sports networks to continue to cater to this audience.
