ESPN hikes streaming service price by US$1, with sports returning

[BURBANK] Walt Disney Co is raising the price of its ESPN+ streaming service for new subscribers by US$1 to US$5.99 a month, starting Aug 12.

It's the first price increase since the launch of the product in April 2018. The US$50 cost of an annual subscription remains the same, and a streaming bundle of ESPN+, Disney+ and Hulu stays at US$13 a month.

Disney introduced ESPN+ as way to build a direct connection with customers at a time when consumers were moving away from the traditional cable bundle in favour of a la carte video subscriptions such as Netflix. That's a trend that has accelerated with the coronavirus pandemic. ESPN+ now has 8.5 million customers, up from 2.4 million a year ago.

The service doesn't air the same content as the company's main sports channels. Games from the two most popular sports organisations, the National Football League and the National Basketball Association, aren't featured. But ESPN+ does include baseball, hockey, soccer, college sports, boxing and documentaries.

Nearly all sports were cancelled during the coronavirus pandemic, leaving some consumers complaining about still having to pay their full cable bills. Contests have trickled back: The NBA and Major League Soccer are both playing at ESPN's Wide World of Sports facility in Orlando, Florida. Major League Baseball returned last month for a shortened season.

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