Walt Disney Co.
DIS,
is “actively preparing” for a shift that would let ESPN become a standalone streaming service, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. The report, which cited multiple unnamed sources, said that Disney has yet to decide when it would make this change. Disney would continue to offer EPSN as a television channel even after breaking it out into its own streaming service, the report noted, though live sports on ESPN are a big draw for the dwindling portion of consumers who pay for the traditional cable bundle. Though Disney currently offers its ESPN+ streaming service, that doesn’t include access to the flagship programming that airs on ESPN’s traditional cable channel. Disney didn’t immediately respond to a MarketWatch request for comment on the report.
