I think it is. ESPN is a totally separate vertical than the rest of what Disney offers, and it’s subject to compulsory high rate licensing.

Excluding it from the bundle lets Disney be price competitive.

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WorldMaker 3 hours ago | parent | next [-]

It also underlines in the US that sports is probably the last interest in linear programming. It would be interesting to get a picture of how many US customers will pay for ESPN in a Disney+ bundle but not Linear Hulu. I'm sure Disney will be tracking it, and probably made a smart move making the more interesting bundle the one with ESPN but not Linear Hulu.

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ghaff 3 hours ago | parent [-]

There's a huge interest in sports in the US (and elsewhere). And broadcast rights reflect that. But there are also a bunch of people who would happily take a discount on all their other video to not include sports.

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true_religion an hour ago | parent [-]

And sports coverage is very regional. Disney plus shows African football matches in S. Africa but in the US, I wouldn’t be surprised if it focused only on US football and US college teams.

	▲	ghaff an hour ago \| parent [-]
		I don't have cable or Disney+ any longer but, as someone who played rugby in school and still have an occasional interest, I find it's difficult to find in the US on TV.

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turnsout 24 minutes ago | parent | prev [-]

I could buy the ESPN carve-out, but the fact that Hulu is separate is just mental.