Disney+ poised to launch ESPN hub in Australia
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The news: Australian subscribers to the Disney+ streaming service will get access to a new ESPN hub on the platform in the coming months.
The context: The service was made available to users in the US in December and for Latin America users in June last year.
The expansion marks a significant escalation of the company’s sports streaming ambitions in the Australian market. It also mounts direct competition to Foxtel, the cable television business recently sold by News Corp to the global sports streamer, DAZN.
The ESPN “hub” on Disney+ will include some 10,000 hours of live sports coverage, including the ESPN and ESPN2 channels. Subscribers will also be able to watch SportsCenter and other shows, along with a string of live sports events and on-demand replays.
ESPN has rights to a range of US sporting events, including the NBA All-Star Weekend, NBA Finals and NHL Stanley Cup Final, among others.
What they said: “Sport on Disney+ is an innovative game-changer. It further enriches our already strong and unique content offering, boosts value for subscribers, and serves sports fans anytime, anywhere,” said Kylie Watson-Wheeler, senior vice president and managing director of Disney in Australia and New Zealand.
The source: Disney media release
