ESPN+ posts $65m loss as subscribers continue to fall

Subscriber numbers for ESPN+ fell once again, while the streaming service also posted a $65 million operating loss, as media giant Disney revealed mixed results for its direct-to-consumer business in the second financial quarter of the year.

ESPN+ subscriptions dropped for the second straight quarter and third time in four quarters, and now stand at 24.8 million – the same level it was at early last year.

With the latest quarter following the conclusion of the 2023 college football and NFL seasons, Disney (which owns ESPN+) pointed to this as one key reason for the subscriber decline.

However, before last summer, ESPN+ showed more than five years of uninterrupted subscriber growth.

For the first time, the Disney+ and Hulu services became profitable in the second quarter of 2024 as they ended the period with a $47 million profit. However, when combined with ESPN+, the business lost $18 million in the quarter.

Disney said its streaming business with ESPN+ will become profitable in the 4th quarter of the year. Sportcal