Daily Pnut Streaming Service Review: ESPN+

Overview:

ESPN+ is an add-on subscription to ESPN’s normal sports coverage and article services. It was launched in 2018 and offers additional reads and live streaming for almost all the major sports (excluding NBA and NFL games). 

Audience:

ESPN+ is for sports fans – regardless of age or other interests. People looking for more premium written coverage and analysis as well as UFC enthusiasts should definitely look to subscribe to the service. If you’re looking to watch NBA or NFL games specifically, ESPN+ is not for you.

Price: 

ESPN+ costs $5.99 a month or $49.99 annually. It can also be bundled with Hulu and Disney+ for $12.99 a month. The service is fairly cheap, though its content is a lot more limited/specific than more traditional streaming services such as Netflix. 

Content:

ESPN+ gives subscribers access to a library of “30 for 30” documentaries, live streaming of most sports events (excluding the NFL and NBA), UFC matches, exclusive on-demand series, and premium/subscription locked written content. Though NBA and NFL live streams are not available, there is a whole section dedicated to news, fantasy football articles, and scores. (Also notable is that in order to access pay-per-view UFC events, an ESPN+ subscription is required in addition to the pay-per-view price.) 

What was your favorite content and why?

I enjoyed the suite of ESPN+ premium articles, as they gave a lot of insight into the various sports leagues. They provide a lot of additional information into the behind-the-scenes workings of various teams and sports, which was a very eye-opening experience. In addition, the availability of game-by-game stats is useful for when I’m preparing for fantasy drafts. 

Ease of Use:

ESPN+ has a straightforward interface – and is basically an add-on to the original ESPN site with a few extra features. ESPN+ is also available on the ESPN app, which makes things simple for mobile users. All ESPN+ content is streamed in 720p and runs at 60 frames per second – with playback running smoothly with little buffer time. ESPN+ can be watched on three separate devices at the same time.

The ESPN app is easy to navigate, with a search bar on top and a calendar on the upper right to allow users to see live events. There is also a library of content available to be downloaded on the upper left corner of the app. Currently, the library consists of “30 for 30” documentaries and ESPN+ original series. 

ESPN+ is available on Apple and Android devices, PC/Laptops, PlayStation 4, XBox One, and Roku, meaning it’s available at any time, anywhere (with internet connection).

Comparison: 

Other major competitors for ESPN are channels such as NBC Sports and Fox Sports or other sports information/blog sites such as SB Nation and Bleacher Report. The difference between ESPN/ESPN+ and their “competitors” is the general content and experts writing. It’s hard to give a specific point of comparison, but ESPN+ has a lot of extra reads and a deeper dive not available to readers of other sports sites (or even regular ESPN). 

Areas of Improvement:

If ESPN+ gave access to NBA and NFL live streams, it could potentially replace all other sports streaming channels – but it’s a tall order, and possibly not a reasonable request for the near-future. 

Conclusion: 

ESPN+ is great for avid sports fans, but it’s narrow range of content caters it toward a very specific audience. The exclusive articles available for ESPN+ are definitely a great plus for anyone looking for more insight on their favorite teams and sports. A solid service, missing a few major sports, ESPN+ is great for its pricepoint. 

My rating: 8/10

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