What to Watch on the ESPN Tile on Disney+

Disney+ is adding a new player to the roster, with ESPN now coming onto the streaming platform.

As it did with its Hulu tile on Disney+ earlier in the year, Disney is now bringing an ESPN tile to the streaming service for its bundle subscribers in the U.S. Additionally, the company has revealed all Disney+ subscribers will have access to select programming.

From alt sportscasts to bespoke programming, here’s what to watch from the ESPN tile:

A lot more live sports

Disney+ has experimented with live sports broadcasts before, even hosting Toy Story Funday Football, a real-time alternate NFL presentation, on the streamer in 2023.

With the ESPN tile, viewers can expect a lot more where that came from.

“In the first 90 days, bundle subscribers should expect 5,000 live events, including NFL, NBA, NHL, college basketball, and Australian Open,” John Lasker, senior vice president of ESPN+, explained in a statement. “Also, new originals from 30 for 30 and ESPN Original Series.”

ESPN+ has more than 30,000 live sports events each year, including MLB, WNBA, college sports, tennis, and golf, which bundle subscribers can presumably enjoy.

Alt casts for alt sports audiences

Disney has a history of knowing how to reach its subscribers, with the initial Hulu launch on Disney+ having better-than-expected advertiser results almost immediately. And with Disney+ subscribers typically being different than the average sports fan, the company is bringing some atypical sports programming.

“We know that the consumer on Disney+ is a different consumer, and they’re probably not a heavy sports fan. Some may be, but we want to give more sampling of content with a bent toward live events and alternative casts,” Rita Ferro, Disney’s global ads president, told ADWEEK recently.

With that in mind, the ESPN tile will showcase unique live events and alt casts, including The Simpsons Funday Football animated Monday Night Football game, a Christmas Day lineup of five NBA games plus the Dunk The Halls animated NBA presentation, select 30 For 30 documentaries, and Day 1 coverage from the Australian Open.