Disney To Close ESPN Player Across Europe, Middle East & Africa

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

New Series Alert: The Stepmother II Coming Soon To TLNovelas Africa

The Stepmother tells the story of María, a woman who lost twenty years of her life after being falsely accused of murder and who returns to Mexico to exact revenge on her husband and friends who abandoned her and to see her beloved children once more.

It starred Victoria Ruffo, César Évora, Eduardo Capetillo, Jacqueline Andere, Ana Martín, Cecilia Gabriela, Martha Julia, Guillermo García Cantú, René Casados and Sabine Moussier.

The Stepmother debuted in Mexico as La Madrastra back in 2005 and garnered popularity. Since then a number of productions had been released based on its stature including the remake of the same name starring Aracley Arambula and the parody La Parodia: La Madre Ésta.

It serves as the fifth remake to the franchise and first original series through Canal De Las Estrellas. Similar to Rubi, The Stepmother serves as one of the few eldest shows set to be broadcast on TLNovelas (DStv 133).

Catch the first episode at 19:55 from September 11 replacing Rubi. In other developments, Nurses will returning within the month after Operation Pacific.

Everyday Novelas Summary: 13 Things You Probably Missed About Zee World, Zee One And Star Life

If you are watching the following channels, then you should probably take note of the following:

1. Star Life

• A rebroadcast of A Magical Love Story launches July 17th. Synopsis is available on the following link: click here

• Rajjo comes to an end in August

• Two series that were expected to rollout on the channel were never allocated: Pandya Store and Night Of Doom

• Ram Setu (Movie) premieres 30 July at 3pm: it follows an atheist archaeologist who turns into a believer, faces a challenge to prove the existence of 'Rama Setu' before the evil forces destroy the heritage site of India.

2. Zee World

• The short lived series If You Were Not There is replaced by His Mistress's Child. 

• Bollywood movies no longer air on the feed seen across Southern Africa.

• All series air 7 days a week from 2pm to 11pm.

3. Zee One

• Between You And Me gets an additional repeat timeslot replaces the 2pm slot.

• Now we know why Zee World is a 24/7 series channel, movies air twice a day at 3pm and 11pm.

• Trinayani and Between You And Me are the most popular series on the channel.

• This Is Fate (YAWN!) might replace Between You And Me.

• Jodha And Akbar replaces Bridal Material from August 18th. Details available on the following link: click here

Recap To The Year: SABC Is Looking For Long-Form Dramas To Replace 7de Laan And Likely Cancelled The Estate And Possible Skeem Saam, Generations: The Legacy Or Uzalo

During the week, it was learnt by staff and crew that the SABC had cancelled 7de Laan after its 23 year run on SABC 2 with the last episode set to be broadcast on 26 December 2023. No reason was given for the cancellation but sources believe it could be financial constraints.

7de Laan was first broadcast on 4 April 2000 - initially with only one episode a week before it grew to five days a week - making household names of numerous actors and their characters who inhabited the fictional Hillside suburb in Johannesburg.

Created as a stand-in for the eclectic real-life Melville in Johannesburg, the show spawned roadshows and cookbooks over the past two decades as South Africans started quoting some of the characters' sayings, like Oubaas' malapropisms.

Lala Tuku, SABC head of content for video entertainment, says, "The SABC is proud to have worked with Danie Odendaal Productions and been part of the journey leading and producing the best Afrikaans soapie on local television for SABC 2. 7de Laan has penetrated the hearts of millions of South Africans.

"After more than two decades on air, the award-winning 7de Laan leaves a lasting imprint on the SA television landscape. SABC wishes all the dedicated and talented cast and crew of 7de Laan all the best in their future endeavours".

Few months ago, it was reported that The Estate another local program by the public broadcaster currently seen on SABC 3 would go on production break with sources believing it will be likely cancelled as they source out long form series for all three channels.

SABC 1 is looking for a youth oriented show likely under SABC Education and similar to MTV Shuga, Skeem Saam and Degrassi will focus on female characters, gay characters and disabled characters. If anything could it be possible that Skeem Saam and Uzalo will get the boot if not Generations: The Legacy.

Despite Uzalo and Skeem Saam garnering traction as seen with 7de Laan, the public broadcaster has been slow on commissions likely due to financial constraints. In 2021, Uzalo was renewed for another two years (through 2023) with Skeem Saam and Generations to be carried through 2024.

Another thing would be scheduling conflicts, with e.tv and Mzansi Magic ramping up a similar offering and also the existing Generations: The Legacy, Skeem Saam and Uzalo. This series wouldn't have much exposure so it would make sense to scrap one of three in order to make space for this series.

SABC 2 is looking for a new family drama centred around hope of course not much details is shared about the type of show except they're looking at concepts and ideas that broaden and celebrate the South African family in the context of home, society, and workplace. This could be the series that is set to replace 7de Laan but for all we know it cater to audiences of Muvhango.

SABC 3 is looking for high end drama series similar to Backstage or Isidingo might be replacing The Estate. The series should explore the impact of this seismic shift in society on the individual, the family, community, and institutions at large.

The teams are working tirelessly and diligently to finalise the process and provide feedback to all producers as soon as possible," says the SABC". The video entertainment team has already begun the pitching and look forward to engaging with more producers as the process unfolds.

RUMOUR: End Of An Era, Disney Junior To Cease Transmission In Turkey By 2024, Could Africa's Be Next Alongside The Disney Channel?

During the week, it was reported that Disney is looking to sell several linear channels which are no longer core to their business. On top of that, they're looking to close their remaining linear channels in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Southeast Asia by the end of 2023.

According to sources, Disney Junior would cease to exist in Turkey by 2024 and this was the last brand under Disney Branded Television following the closures of Disney Channel and Disney XD as further content from all these brands is allocated to Disney+.

Disney Junior launched as Playhouse Disney in 2007 and since then he proven to be a popular addition amongst consumers featuring shows like Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Sofia The First, Doc McStuffins, Spidey And His Friends and PJ Masks.

MultiChoice, an outlet seen in Africa to package Disney Junior alongside Disney Channel, National Geographic, National Geographic Wild, ESPN 1 and ESPN 2 had mentioned in 2021 that these brands were extended through 2024. 

With Disney Junior in Turkey set to shut down by the end of 2023 around the time other parts of Asia would be losing their feeds. Could it be possible that the Disney Channels in Africa will join Turkey seeing as they're both operated by Disney EMEA alongside other regions.

Another thing, despite MultiChoice and Disney promise to retain them through 2024. It had mentioned that these channels would stick around for "another two years" bringing up that possible December 2023 closure if not early 2024 presumably before March.