It feels like we’ve reached total saturation when it comes to streaming services, but apparently people are happy to sign up for one (or two) more services if they include live sports. According to Antenna, a firm that tracks the streaming industry, the new ESPN service and Fox One signed up about a million new subscribers in just 10 days. And that number doesn’t include those signing in through a cable subscription or coming over from an existing Disney+ sub.
Antenna didn’t specify how many people signed up for ESPN versus Fox One, though according to Front Office Sports, most of the subscribers are for ESPN. With the NFL season just getting underway it’s no surprise that many were eager to sign up for a service that would let them watch live football without cable. Fox One includes Fox News and Fox Business, but the real draw is livestreams from Fox Sports, FS1, FS2, and local Fox affiliates. These are, of course, just early results and it remains to be seen if both services will see continued success when the football season ends.
While you can subscribe to ESPN’s new offering for $29.99 a month, or Fox One for $19.99 a month, bundles will continue to be a big part of Disney’s strategy. The company is even planning to offer the two under a single sub for $39.99 starting October 2nd.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
