Reviews
ESPN Plus Review 2026: Is It Worth It for Sports?
This ESPN Plus review addresses the question we see most in every cord cutting forum: is ESPN+ actually ESPN? The short answer — no — and that confusion trips up more subscribers than any other streaming gotcha we cover.
This ESPN Plus review addresses the question we see most in every cord-cutting forum: is ESPN+ actually ESPN? The short answer — no — and that confusion trips up more subscribers than any other streaming gotcha we cover. Our team spent four weeks testing the service across UFC events, international soccer, and MLB/NHL coverage to give you a complete answer.
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ESPN+ is a legitimate sports streaming service. It's also a source of genuine frustration if you sign up expecting the network you grew up watching on cable. Here's everything you need to know before you subscribe.
ESPN Plus Review: Quick Verdict
Best for UFC & Soccer Fans
ESPN+
$10.99/month (standalone) | $24.99/month (Disney Bundle)
A strong sports streaming add-on for UFC fans and European soccer viewers. Best value as part of the Disney Bundle. Not a replacement for the ESPN cable channel — NFL, NBA, and live ESPN/ESPN2 require a separate live TV service.
Pros
- Every UFC Fight Night event included — the best MMA value in streaming
- LaLiga, Bundesliga, and Serie A coverage is comprehensive
- Out-of-market NHL and MLB regular season games
- College football and basketball depth (SEC, ACC, more)
- Disney Bundle pricing makes it nearly free if you want Disney+/Hulu
- Available on all major streaming devices and smart TVs
- ESPN+ Originals and on-demand library
Cons
- No live ESPN/ESPN2 channel — NFL Monday Night Football, NBA not included
- NHL and MLB playoff games not on ESPN+
- Regional sports blackouts apply to MLB and NHL
- PPV UFC events cost extra (~$79.99 each)
- Limited to supplement role — can't replace a live TV service for most fans
ESPN+ vs. ESPN: The Most Important Thing in This Review
Before we go any further: ESPN+ is not the ESPN cable channel.
This is the most common point of confusion, and it's worth spending a full section on. When you subscribe to ESPN+, you get a separate streaming library of specific sports content — certain events, out-of-market games, international soccer, UFC, and ESPN originals. You do not get a live stream of ESPN or ESPN2.
Those channels require a live TV streaming service like YouTube TV or Hulu + Live TV (/youtube-tv-vs-hulu-live-tv). ESPN+ is a companion service, not a channel replacement.
| What You Might Expect | What ESPN+ Actually Delivers |
|---|---|
| Live ESPN cable channel | ❌ Not included |
| Monday Night Football (ESPN) | ❌ Not included |
| NBA games on ESPN | ❌ Not included |
| UFC Fight Night events | ✅ Included |
| Out-of-market NHL games | ✅ Included |
| Out-of-market MLB games | ✅ Included |
| College sports (select conferences) | ✅ Included |
| LaLiga, Bundesliga, Serie A | ✅ Included |
| ESPN Originals and documentaries | ✅ Included |
Once you internalize this, the service's value — and its limitations — become much clearer.
<img src="/images/man-watching-tv-hero.jpg" alt="Cord-cutter comparing ESPN+ streaming service options on a laptop, reviewing which sports are included before subscribing" />
How Much Does ESPN+ Cost?
- Standalone: $10.99/month or $109.99/year (~$9.17/month)
- Disney Bundle with ads: $24.99/month (Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+)
- Disney Bundle ad-free: $37.99/month
The standalone price is fair for heavy UFC and soccer viewers. The Disney Bundle is exceptional value for almost everyone else.
The Disney Bundle: Why ESPN+ Is Almost Free for Most People
If you already pay for Disney+ ($9.99/month) or Hulu ($7.99/month), the Disney Bundle pricing changes the math significantly.
Buying each service separately:
- Disney+ with ads: $9.99/month
- Hulu with ads: $7.99/month
- ESPN+ standalone: $10.99/month
- Total: $28.97/month
Disney Bundle: $24.99/month — you save roughly $4/month versus subscribing separately, which effectively reduces ESPN+'s cost to about $7/month in bundle context.
For households with kids, Marvel/Star Wars fans, or anyone who watches Hulu originals, the Disney Bundle is the correct way to subscribe to ESPN+. The standalone price is hard to justify when the bundle gives you more for less. According to analysis by The Verge (https://www.theverge.com), the Disney Bundle remains one of the best value propositions in streaming for multi-service households.
What Sports Does ESPN+ Cover?
Here's the full sport-by-sport breakdown based on our testing and current rights deals:
| Sport | ESPN+ Coverage |
|---|---|
| **UFC** | All Fight Night events + prelims. PPV numbered events require separate purchase (~$79.99). |
| **NHL** | Out-of-market regular season games. Blackouts apply. Playoffs not included. |
| **MLB** | Out-of-market regular season games. Blackouts apply. Playoffs not included. |
| **College Football** | SEC Network+, ACC Network+, and select mid-major conferences |
| **College Basketball** | ACC, SEC, and other conferences not on main ESPN channels |
| **LaLiga (Spain)** | Full season, all matches |
| **Bundesliga (Germany)** | Full season coverage |
| **Serie A (Italy)** | Full season coverage |
| **Golf** | PGA Tour Live (select rounds), some event coverage |
| **Tennis** | Grand Slam early rounds, select ATP/WTA events |
| **Boxing** | Top Rank events |
| **Cricket** | International match coverage |
The international soccer coverage is ESPN+'s second-biggest draw after UFC. If you follow European club football, ESPN+ has more LaLiga, Bundesliga, and Serie A content than any competing US streaming service. For the $10.99 monthly price, it's one of the strongest soccer values available.
UFC on ESPN+: The Biggest Reason to Subscribe
For MMA fans, ESPN+ is effectively mandatory. Disney acquired exclusive UFC broadcast rights, and the practical impact for subscribers is real:
- Every UFC Fight Night event streams on ESPN+ — main card and preliminary bouts included
- Early prelims also land on ESPN+ in most cases
- UFC PPV events (numbered cards like UFC 315) still cost approximately $79.99 each and require an active ESPN+ subscription to purchase
If you attend even two or three UFC PPV events per year, the $10.99/month subscription pays for itself quickly in saved friction. And Fight Night events — which run nearly every weekend during the UFC season — deliver live MMA at no additional cost beyond the base subscription.
No competing streaming service offers anything close to this level of UFC coverage. It's ESPN+'s clearest competitive moat.
What ESPN+ Doesn't Include
Honest assessment of the biggest gaps:
NFL: Monday Night Football airs on ESPN and ABC. Neither channel is available on ESPN+. For live NFL coverage, you need a live TV streaming service (/how-to-watch-nfl-without-cable-2026) — YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, and Sling TV all carry ESPN.
NBA: ESPN and ABC NBA games are not on ESPN+. You'd need a live TV service for live ABC/ESPN coverage, or NBA League Pass separately.
Playoff sports: ESPN+ carries out-of-market regular season NHL and MLB games, but playoff coverage migrates to broadcast networks that require a live TV service.
Local/regional games: Blackout rules apply. You cannot use ESPN+ to watch your home-market team's games, even for NHL and MLB.
These aren't criticisms of ESPN+ specifically — they reflect how sports broadcast rights work in the US — but they're important to understand before canceling cable entirely.
ESPN Plus Review: Who Should Subscribe
Subscribe without hesitation:
- UFC fans — The fight library and live event coverage at $10.99/month is the best MMA deal in streaming
- Disney Bundle subscribers — If you're already paying for Disney+ and/or Hulu, the bundle makes ESPN+ nearly free
- European soccer fans — LaLiga, Bundesliga, and Serie A coverage is deep and competitively priced
- College sports fans — Especially if your conference has content on ESPN+
Worth considering:
- NHL and MLB fans who live away from their home market
- Cord-cutters looking for supplemental sports depth on top of a live TV service
Probably not worth it alone:
- NFL-first viewers — You need a live TV service for MNF; ESPN+ won't solve this
- NBA fans — Same situation; ESPN/ABC NBA is not on ESPN+
- Anyone expecting a live ESPN channel — That requires a live TV service
Verdict: Is ESPN+ Worth It in 2026?
Yes — with the right expectations.
At $10.99/month standalone, ESPN+ is an excellent value for UFC fans and European soccer viewers. It's genuinely one of the best-priced niche sports services in streaming.
For everyone else, the Disney Bundle is the smarter path. At $24.99/month you get Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ — and if you're going to pay for any two of those services, the bundle makes the third essentially free.
What ESPN+ is not: a replacement for a live ESPN channel subscription. Monday Night Football, live NBA on ESPN, and your local team's games all require a live TV service like YouTube TV or Hulu + Live TV (/youtube-tv-vs-hulu-live-tv). The complete cord-cutter setup for sports fans usually combines ESPN+ (or the Disney Bundle) with an antenna for free locals and a live TV service for the networks.
If you want to watch sports on a streaming device purpose-built for sports viewing (/best-streaming-device-for-sports-fans), ESPN+ is available on every major platform — Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast with Google TV, smart TVs, iOS, and Android.
Pricing accurate as of April 2026. Streaming service prices change frequently — verify current ESPN+ and Disney Bundle pricing before subscribing.