ESPN is the greatest sports channel in the world right now. Even if you don’t have time to follow sports like an enthusiast, you’re still likely to know that ESPN is the place to go for sports content.
What you might not know is that ESPN comes in two flavors. One is the regular ESPN channels you can access with a cable provider, along with the free ESPN app. The other is ESPN+, which is the upgraded version of the ESPN app.
ESPN+ is not a substitute for the standard ESPN channels. If you subscribe to ESPN+, you will get a ton of exclusive content through the service’s website. A subscription will also grant you exclusive access to shows, analysis, news, events and general ESPN coverage.
So the obvious question becomes: How much do you have to pay for ESPN+? The short answer is $5 per month. But, if you sign up for a year, you will only have to pay $50 and save $10.
What Is Included in ESPN+?
As mentioned, ESPN+ won’t get you live ESPN channels. You will need a cable provider for that.
What ESPN+ does get you is access to select games from leagues such as Major League Soccer (or MLS), National Basketball Association (NBA), National Hockey League (NHL) and Major League Baseball (MLB). You can also watch PGA golf, Grand Slam events and college sports.
In addition to that all that, you can expect to find games from other sporting leagues such as UEFA Nations League, English Premier League, Canadian Football League, Rugby, Cricket and United Soccer League.
Pro Tip:
If you are into soccer, you might be happy to know that ESPN+ is rapidly expanding its soccer coverage in the near future. It has a deal to broadcast the FA Cup along with premier matches from top German and English leagues.You will use the same ESPN app to get extra coverage via ESPN+. Once you have the app, you can access a huge on-demand sports library in addition to podcasts, radio, news and live scores. ESPN+ also includes programming that is not available on ESPN TV channels.
For example, the only place where you can watch NFL Prime Time, the digital version, is through ESPN+. The service also grants you access to even more exclusive out-of-market sports games when you subscribe to other streaming services such as NHL.TV and MLB.TV.
But perhaps the most original collection of content you’ll get from ESPN+ is its documentary library. With titles such as The Last Dance, OJ Simpson: Made in America among many others in the 30 for 30 documentary series, you will need a summer or two to consume them all. Other original programs include NBA Rooks, The Boardroom, Peyton’s Places, Detail, and more. If that wasn’t enough already, then how about even more content on platforms such as Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter and YouTube.
With that said, though, you will have to watch commercials during live games. That’s a legacy of the traditional TV market that will never die. Also, you shouldn’t expect to see all the important NFL or NBA games live.
As far as the regular seasons of MLB and NHL games go, ESPN+ allows you to watch one game per day in addition to the above-mentioned out-of-market MLS matches. ESPN+ will also cover UFC events, and you can watch PPV matches for $64.99.
Conclusion: Is It Worth It?
So, should you get ESPN+ for your sporting needs?
The answer is surprisingly simple. If you only love a single team in a single sport, then no. ESPN+ is not worth it. But if you are a fan of sports in general and don’t mind ESPN+ picking and choosing the games you get to access, you can give ESPN+ a try.
Don’t forget, it is far cheaper than any cable package you will ever subscribe to.