In 2021, The Walt Disney Company unveiled plans to close 100 international channels in the coming future which included a range of FOX, National Geographic and Disney Channels. This past week it was reported that the brand is opting to make ESPN a streaming exclusive.
This news doesn't come as a surprise as mentioned they already closed a couple of channels across the world and also this was discussed back in 2022 but more of a what if scenario as they're still looking at ways of getting this off the ground.
The idea similar to Disney+ is to rollout ESPN as a standalone streaming service. There is regions already bundling sports under Disney+ so it's likely that this streaming service will rollout under the streamer if not a standalone or add-on.
Despite their cancellation on DStv and StarSat, The Walt Disney Company revealed they're still willing to distribute selected content on cable meaning these outlets alongside various in the region will likely use existing sports channels if not replacements for the content.
Similar to National Geographic and Disney Channel where content such as The World According To Jeff Goldblum and Monster Inc: The Series were made exclusive to Disney+ now the content can be viewed on the mentioned brands alongside local broadcasters.
Seeing as there's no timeframe as to when the indefinite will occur my guess would be between 2025-2027 as the company is currently looking to review the NBA deal in the hopes to stream them on ESPN+ (or Disney+) and the other BBC is looking to become an online platform.
No comments:
Post a Comment