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The news: Fox is teaming up with ESPN to bundle their upcoming sports streaming services, per Deadline. The bundle will focus on Fox One and ESPN and marks the first major sports rights package, though programming from Fox鈥檚 broadcast network and its local stations will also be available. Our take: An ESPN and Fox bundle will undoubtedly unlock major advertising opportunities for the channels as advertisers turn to sports as a key driver of revenues.

On today鈥檚 podcast episode, we discuss if the death of the Late Show is 鈥渢he canary in the linear coal mine鈥� and the biggest takeaways from the landmark NFL and ESPN deal. Join our conversation with Senior Director of Podcasts and host, Marcus Johnson, Senior Editor, Daniel Konstantinovic, and Vice President of Content, Paul Verna. Listen everywhere you find podcasts and watch on YouTube and Spotify.

ESPN has launched its long-awaited direct-to-consumer subscription app, consolidating 12 networks and sports rights under one platform. Two tiers鈥�ESPN Select at $11.99/month and ESPN Unlimited at $29.99/month鈥攐ffer up to 79,000 live events annually, with Unlimited subscribers gaining access to marquee programming like Monday Night Football and NBA games. A Disney+/Hulu bundle is also available for $35.99/month, discounted in year one. Features include multiview, betting tools, live stats, fantasy integrations, and an AI-powered personalized SportsCenter. The move signals an existential reset for ESPN, aiming to convert cable loyalists and younger fans while stabilizing growth in a cord-cutting era.

The news: Disney and the NFL struck a landmark deal late last week that gives the entertainment giant access to a suite of high-profile NFL content in exchange for an undisclosed equity stake in ESPN that is 鈥減otentially worth billions,鈥� per The Athletic. Our take: It won鈥檛 be long before the lines of power in the sports streaming world are reexamined once more, and the Disney-NFL deal foreshadows that ESPN may get marquee NFL rights next time around. YouTube鈥檚 Sunday Ticket contract with the NFL expires in 2030, with Amazon鈥檚 Thursday Night Football agreement ending three years later.

The news: Live-streamer Sling TV debuted day, weekend, and weeklong streaming passes as monthly subscription costs escalate. Consumers can buy a Day Pass for $4.99, a Friday-Sunday pass for $9.99, or a Week Pass for $14.99. Passes don鈥檛 auto-renew. All three passes offer access to the same 34 channels on Sling鈥檚 Orange package, including ESPN, TNT, A&E, Comedy Central, and more. Our take: If its short-term passes are successful, we can expect more streamers to follow suit and potentially offer popular IP for rent鈥攖hink 鈥淪quid Game鈥� on Netflix or 鈥淭he Gilded Age鈥� on HBO Max. That would allow advertisers to target specific, price-conscious audiences.

Fubo is launching Fubo Sports, a 鈥渟kinny鈥� standalone sports streaming bundle with a lower cost than its existing plans and pay TV competitors. The bundle offers access to more than 20 sports-focused channels, including ESPN Unlimited, per Variety. If Fubo leans into being a low-cost, high-intensity sports hub, it can carve out a profitable niche, even if it lags behind in subscriber count and scale. But without more exclusive rights or differentiation, Fubo Sports could risk being seen as a less complete version of other bundles.

YouTube鈥檚 hiring of ESPN veteran Justin Connolly triggers a Disney lawsuit: The clash underscores rising tensions over live sports streaming supremacy.

NBCU looks to secure MLB rights after ESPN backs out: The deal would position NBCU as a one-stop shop for sports, enhancing its value for advertisers.

Women's sports viewership continues its upward trajectory with the NCAA women's basketball championship game drawing over 8 million viewers and peaking at 9.8 million, per ESPN ratings. While that figure is down over 2024鈥檚 18.5 million, it represents a longer trend of sustained growth in women鈥檚 sports viewership. This phenomenon can no longer be attributed to one single star athlete鈥擟aitlin Clark鈥攂ut to an overall increase in women鈥檚 sports popularity.

Who will be the MLB鈥檚 new streaming partner? As MLB鈥檚 partnership with ESPN is ending, Apple TV+ could eye a deal to expand its sports catalog.

The company recently teamed up with the NFL in a landmark deal that gives Disney access to high-profile NFL content in exchange for an equity stake in ESPN. And ESPN is set to launch a DTC streaming platform in the US later this month that will consolidate ESPN programming under one roof and can be bundled with Disney+.

Disney鈥檚 future upfront growth hinges on whether it can break the silo between ESPN and its streaming ecosystem and re-frame Disney+ and Hulu as high-value for advertisers. Without structural changes, upfront growth could flatline.

To protect Peacock, which still trails other streamers in subscriber count, NBCU would limit the new channel鈥檚 distribution to select cable bundles, excluding broader packages featuring heavyweights like ESPN and Fox Sports.

With rivals like Amazon, ESPN, and Fox also sharpening their sports packages, NBCU鈥檚 2026 slate positions it to capture an outsize share of ad budgets in a year when sports will dominate the cultural calendar.

Other TV leaders are tapping into the bundle potential: Fox and ESPN have recently teamed up for a sports streaming bundle, unlocking major ad opportunities through expanded inventory and an essentially guaranteed audience. The benefit to advertisers: As consumers shift to digital and connected TV (CTV) options over linear, advertisers need to follow audiences.

"If they have an equity stake in ESPN, that's a huge incentive to give ESPN a favorable package. Years down the line, I think Disney is poised to win big time in NFL rights bidding wars.". The timing is significant, with the Sunday Ticket rights coming up for renewal in 2026, followed by Thursday Night Football shortly after.

ESPN just launched a direct-to-consumer platform consolidating 12 networks into one streaming app, coinciding with Fox鈥檚 debut of Fox One, with plans for a bundle with both services in October. Netflix bet on live sports by becoming the official streaming partner of the WWE and investing in NFL games. Amazon Prime Video expanded its reach with an 11-year NBA deal and WNBA extension.

Netflix is the streaming partner of the WWE, Amazon Prime maintains an 11-year deal with the NBA and WNBA, Peacock has an NBA package, and ESPN is exploring a flagship streaming service. Apple TV is trying to catch up with its competitors. The TikTok deal highlights Apple TV鈥檚 MLS season pass as the platform eyes other sports investments to build its viewer base.

Football is one of the few remaining bright spots for linear TV viewership, but the NFL鈥檚 recent purchase of a 10% stake in ESPN (which will launch a DTC streaming offering on August 21) signals its belief in a streaming-first future. Our take: Though linear still commands more ad spending than streaming for now, money and viewership are becoming more entrenched within streaming.

ESPN has seen continued success airing Formula 1 races, with average viewership nearly doubling since returning to ESPN platforms in 2018, per an ESPN press release. However, ESPN will not renew its Formula 1 rights after 2025, presenting a new opportunity for Amazon and other platforms to secure the rights.

Networks like Fox are also capitalizing on the sports trend: Viewership skyrocketed with Super Bowl LIX, leading to double-digit growth YoY across the channel鈥檚 sports properties, and Fox now plans to bundle its upcoming streaming offerings with ESPN.

This complements the NBA鈥檚 new $76 billion media rights agreement with ESPN, NBCUniversal, and Amazon, which kicks off next season. Our take: The NBA鈥檚 ability to hold sponsor volume steady while increasing deal value reflects its strength in attracting higher-caliber, deeper-pocketed partners. Player-driven engagement, social media clout, and multi-platform exposure all fuel this growth.

ESPN is adding a flagship streaming service to its offerings that will showcase all of its linear sports options. Our take: The NFL game being broadcast for free on YouTube marks a significant milestone, signaling a future where more premium sports content is accessible through free, ad-supported streaming options and creating a substantial opportunity for advertisers.