Want To Watch ESPN Without Cable? Buy A PlayStation


Live sports — the supposed killer app that keeps people subscribing to cable when otherwise they might cut the cord — is, well, going cordless. Disney today announced a deal with Sony that will bring all of their programming, including ESPN, to a streaming service near you. At least, if you live in the right area.

The deal will bring Disney-owned networks to the PlayStation Vue streaming service, a cable-free cable alternative that still costs just about as much as traditional pay-TV. The deal includes live-streaming and library access to content from:

  • ABC owned-and-operated broadcast stations
  • ABC Family (Freeform)
  • Disney Channel
  • Disney Junior
  • Disney XD
  • ESPN
  • ESPN2
  • ESPN College Extra
  • ESPNU
  • ESPNEWS
  • ESPN Deportes
  • ESPN Classic
  • ESPN Goal Line
  • ESPN Buzzer Beater
  • ESPN Bases Loaded
  • Fusion
  • Longhorn Network
  • SEC-ESPN Network

ABC affiliate broadcast networks not owned and operated by Disney will also be able to opt-in to joining the service.

Unfortunately, the audience is still pretty limited. Not only do would-be subscribers need to own a recent-generation PlayStation console, but also Vue is still only available in a handful of markets: New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas, Miami, Philadelphia, and San Francisco.

Disney and ESPN have not yet announced when the content will actually launch on PlayStation Vue, nor where it will land in terms of plans and pricing.

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