Report: ESPN+ Hits 24.3M Subs

Subscriptions to ESPN+ have hit 24.3 million, up from 17.1 million at year-end 2021, as predictions of a spinoff by parent Disney continue, according to Mediapost.

Earlier in 2022, Disney's then-CEO, Bob Chapek, fended off pressure from activist investor firm Third Point LLC, led by Dan Loeb, to spin off ESPN+. Loeb argued that such a move would “attract shareholders seeking the respective qualities of each company, allowing the Disney parent multiple to expand as its earnings growth rate increases and the remaining business is no longer haunted by the specter of cord-cutting.”

Disney, which yields substantial revenue from its bundle of ESPN and other cable channels, and ESPN on ABC, does not currently offer livestreamed ESPN coverage through ESPN+ -- presumably in part to protect that bundle. 

At present, ESPN+ is a critical component of the streaming bundle, with Disney+ and Hulu, which has driven much of the company's direct-to-consumer growth -- although Disney's impending acquisition of Hulu shares currently owned by Comcast opens a number of new strategic directions for the company.

ESPN is also reporting strong audience performance across its other platforms.

The brand’s digital platforms are averaging 106.7 million unique visitors per month, up 3% from a year ago.

On television, 2022 marks the ninth consecutive year that ESPN is the No. 1 cable network in prime time across all key adult demographics (P18-34, P18-49, P25-54).

It is also the 31st consecutive year of ESPN being the No. 1 cable network for men 18-34 and 18-49, and the 13th consecutive year it has ranked No. 1 among people 18 to 34 and 18 to 49.

Year-to-date through Dec. 18, ESPN’s TV audience was up by 8% year-over-year among viewers two years and older and by 5% among those 18 to 49. Its prime-time viewership among those audiences were up 14% and 12%, respectively for the same period.

ESPN’s Monday Night Football viewership for the season’s first 13 weeks averaged 13.4 million per game. The average matched 2021’s and was up by more than 6% from each season going back to 2016.

College football coverage ended up 22% versus 2021’s season—its best performance since 2016.