ESPN’s streaming service, confusingly called ESPN, is coming at just the right time for football fans. The Worldwide Leader in Sports has always been associated with the NFL, thanks to its Monday Night Football broadcast. But back in August, ESPN and the NFL struck a monumental deal that gives ESPN the NFL Network and rights to the NFL RedZone brand name.
That deal won’t go into effect this season, most likely, as it still has to pass through U.S. regulatory processes. But that’s not stopping ESPN and the NFL from teaming up this season, including offering ESPN subscribers access to RedZone without needing a cable provider or live TV streaming service.
Right now, you can sign up for ESPN Unlimited and NFL Plus Premium for $39.99 a month. This bundle gives you access to ESPN, which is a streaming service accessed through a newly revamped ESPN app that offers all of ESPN’s linear TV networks and ESPN Plus content all in one place. It also gives you NFL Plus Premium, an upgraded version of the NFL’s own niche streaming service that offers NFL RedZone, NFL Network, game replays and a lot more NFL content.
Normally, that’s all your $40 a month would get you. But for a limited time, you can sign up for Disney Plus (with ads), Hulu (with ads), ESPN and NFL Plus Premium for that same $39.99 a month. That gives you everything I already laid out, plus two of the best streaming services we’ve tested — including Star Wars, MCU movies and shows, Hulu originals and more — all for the same price as before. Yes, that means Disney Plus and Hulu for free, no catch.
OK, there are a few small caveats. First, the promotional price only lasts for 12 months, but getting Disney Plus and Hulu free for an entire year is nothing to turn up your nose at. Second, you have to access all these various streaming services on their own dedicated apps, though next year Hulu will merge with the Disney Plus app.
Finally, you’ll have to suffer through ads on Disney Plus, Hulu and ESPN Unlimited — and NFL RedZone.
ESPN adds RedZone — and RedZone’s new ads
When I wrote about the rumored ESPN and NFL deal back in July, I said that ESPN should make RedZone a loss leader, using it to draw in new subscribers.
Instead, ESPN didn’t do that. In fact, they did the opposite of that. Sure, they used Disney Plus and Hulu as loss leaders instead, and yes, you can now get NFL Network and NFL RedZone to your ESPN Unlimited subscription. But it still costs the typical $10 extra that RedZone costs on cable and cable alternatives, and now, the NFL is adding commercials to RedZone, meaning you’re getting a lesser product for the same cost.
Yes, you’re reading that right. Despite outrage from fans that earned an apology from RedZone’s host, Scott Hanson, the NFL is doubling down on its controversial move from last year, and permanently adding advertisements to the NFL RedZone broadcasts going forward.
Hanson revealed the bad news during an episode of “The Pat McAfee Show” on ESPN yesterday (Sept. 3), and while he vowed that no football would be sacrificed in ESPN and the NFL’s thirst for ad dollars, it seems unlikely that his promise made will be a promise kept.
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Malcolm McMillan
Malcolm has been with Tom’s Guide since 2022, and has been covering the latest in streaming shows and movies since 2023. He’s not one to shy away from a hot take, including that “John Wick” is one of the four greatest films ever made.
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