The battle for sports streaming in Australia has shifted again after Disney confirmed it will add ESPN programming to its platform.
On Tuesday, Disney announced that ESPN's lineup of sports - including NBA, NFL, NHL, and MLB, as well as local Australian events - will soon be available to stream on Disney+.
ESPN's sports content had previously been exclusive to FetchTV and Foxtel/Kayo, which remains Australia's dominant subscription TV service with over 4.6 million subscribers, despite facing fierce competition in recent years.
With Australia's sports streaming spread across multiple services, ESPN stands out for its strategy of signing deals with several distributors.
In a statement on Tuesday, Foxtel assured its customers that this change will not impact their current programming.
“We enjoy a long-standing relationship with Disney/ESPN and expect this to continue,” a Foxtel Group spokesperson said.
“Only a day after the Super Bowl and on the eve of some great NBA action, we're proud to confirm that we will continue to share ESPN content on Foxtel and Kayo.”
This is just one of the many challenges Foxtel has faced in recent weeks, following its acquisition by Saudi Arabia-backed DAZN in December.
Last week, the Foxtel Group also made the move to cancel the streaming services for households in Australian areas classified as "very remote" by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
The rollout of this controversial decision included a mistake, with regional centres like Kalgoorlie, Broome, and Karratha incorrectly listed as "very remote."
Foxtel apologised to subscribers who were falsely notified that they would lose their service.
Currently the third-largest streaming service in Australia, Disney+ could further strengthen its position with the addition of ESPN programming.
This includes upcoming events like NBA All-Star Weekend, the NBL finals, MLB Opening Day, and the NBA and NHL playoffs, potentially helping Australians consolidate their multiple streaming subscriptions.
