Disney has announced that it will be closing down the ESPN Player streaming service, which operates across Europe, Africa, the Middle East and parts of Asia, on August 18th 2023. ESPN Player offers a variety of sports, including basketball, baseball, American football, and many other sports. There are thousands of live events & on-demand content, including ESPN Films plus four 24/7 ESPN TV channels.
Here’s the official statement:
ESPN Player to close on August 18th, 2023
We want to inform you that ESPN Player will be closing on August 18th, 2023. We appreciate your support over the years.
As of August 18th, you will no longer be able to stream live sports, replays, or on-demand content on ESPN Player. You will also be unable to access any of your ESPN Player account information.
ESPN Player has been running for years and was operated by Endeavour Streaming. However, the platform has been neglected in recent years, with the app only available on a very limited number of devices like Android and Apple tablets and smartphones. So you couldn’t watch ESPN Player on your big screen through a Smart TV app or console. I myself wanted to get ESPN Player earlier this year to watch the XFL, but since I couldn’t watch it on my TV, I didn’t bother in the end. Also, the official social media accounts have been a little erratic in how often they post, which could have indicated a change was potentially coming.
Disney has announced where some of the content from the ESPN Player will be going, but it doesn’t cover every country, such as the UK. There are many possible outcomes for what’s next for ESPN within the EMEA region. Disney could have just decided it’s more cost-effective to just licence out its sports to other platforms in each country, or if it is planning on launching a new ESPN+ app globally, such as adding ESPN+ into Disney+ as a paid add-on.
There are dozens of ESPN documentaries available on Disney+ already, so it’s possible we could end up seeing ESPN documentaries heading here if there is no alternative plan for the brand within the region. Unfortunately, we will just have to wait and see what happens next.
Disney has been making changes to ESPN this year to try to become more profitable, including making ESPN a stand-alone division, outside of the theme parks and entertainment divisions and, most recently, laying off staff across the sports division.
Here is where some of the sports content will be heading to:
Major League Baseball (MLB)
Stream MLB games live or on demand with an MLB.TV subscription. Subscribe today for the rest of the 2023 season for $94.99 or $24.99/month.
National Hockey League (NHL)
NHL.TV is available in selected territories. Information about the 2023-24 package will be made available prior to the start of the season. Visit NHL.TV in mid-September for further details.
NCAA Football: Territories and Broadcasters
Israel, One Sport
Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Lichtenstein: DAZN, Pro Sieben
Spain and Andorra: Telefonica
Netherlands: ESPN
Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Slovenia, Kosovo, Croatia, Macedonia: Sportklub
Czech Republic: AMC
Hungary: Network 4
Africa: ESPN
France: beIN
Italy: Helbiz
NCAA Basketball: Territories and Broadcasters
Israel: One Sport
Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Lichtenstein: DAZN
Spain and Andorra: Telefonica
Netherlands: ESPN
Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Slovenia, Kosovo, Croatia, Macedonia: Sportklub
Czech Republic, Slovakia, Turkey: CIS, Saran
Greece, Cyprus: Saran
Africa: ESPN
France: beIN
Baltics: All Media
Italy: Helbiz
Middle East: MBC
Hungary: Network 4
Other NCAA Championships: Territories and Broadcasters
Netherlands: ESPN
Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Slovenia, Kosovo, Croatia, Macedonia: Sportklub
Africa: ESPN
Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia: Network 4
Israel: One Sport
Here are some useful details on the closure of ESPN Player:
How can a customer get a refund?
If you are an active subscriber, with time remaining on your subscription after August 18th you will be refunded the amount for that remaining time. No action is required by you. Refunds will be paid automatically to the payment card with which your initial purchase was made after August 18th.
Will it be a full refund?
You will be refunded based on the remaining length of your subscription after August 18th 2023.
If I purchased through Apple/Google/third party billing, how will I receive a refund?
Users will be refunded by the relevant app store or third-party provider. Refunds will be paid automatically to the payment card with which your initial purchase was made after August 18th.
Will the content be available until you close?
Yes, if you are an active subscriber, you will be able to stream live sports, replays, or on-demand content on ESPN Player. As of August 18th, you will no longer be able to stream live sports, replays, or on-demand content on ESPN Player. You will also be unable to access any of your ESPN Player account information.
How do I cancel now?
To perform all of the below actions, please head to My Account:
Update my payment method
Update my password
Review my payment history
Cancel my account
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