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ESPN is removing its BottomLine ticker from college football games across ABC and ESPN networks to create a cleaner presentation that keeps the focus on the action on the field, while still providing score alerts and essential on-screen updates to help viewers navigate schedule changes.
ESPN publicly rejects a report claiming it won’t renew its WWE Premium Live Event deal, calling the claim completely false. The five-year, about $1.6 billion contract began in 2025 and is approaching its first anniversary, with WWE events streaming on ESPN’s app and occasional cross-promotions around major shows.
The 2026 US Open mixed doubles tournament runs Aug. 25–26 at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center with a $1 million prize and features stars like Aryna Sabalenka, Novak Djokovic, and Carlos Alcaraz with Serena Williams. ESPN networks (ESPN2 and ESPN) will air the matches, with streaming options for cord-cutters via DIRECTV’s free trial or Sling TV passes. The schedule on Aug. 25 starts around 10 a.m. ET, including Williams–Alcaraz on Arthur Ashe, with the final set for Aug. 26; defending champions Errani/Vavassori and Pegula/Fritz are among the other pairs, and matches are described as best-of-three sets (a set needing four games to win in the article).
Disney+ is expanding its U.S. sports lineup by offering two ESPN/ABC college football games each week plus College GameDay Built by The Home Depot on Saturdays, starting Sept. 5; the kickoff game is the Aer Lingus College Football Classic (North Carolina vs. TCU) in Dublin on Aug. 29, with additional games on Sept. 5, 12, and 19 and weekly selections thereafter, and College GameDay will air on Disney+ from Baton Rouge on Sept. 5 ahead of Clemson–LSU; all content remains on the ESPN App, and Disney+/Hulu/ESPN bundle options continue.
ESPN reportedly will not renew its five-year, $1B WWE deal when it ends in 2030, signaling a potential split for WWE's premium events. The outlook is driven by shifts in the media market, the carriage/cost challenges of ESPN Unlimited, and a culture/synergy gap between WWE and ESPN. ESPN has started promoting WWE content more and making some PLEs available on ESPN/ESPN2, but ongoing subscriber and carriage issues persist. Renewal would hinge on a surge in Unlimited subscribers or favorable carriage deals; otherwise WWE would need to find a new home for its PLEs. There is guarded hope for future collaboration if market conditions improve, but the situation remains precarious.
A SEScoops report claims ESPN won’t renew its $1.6 billion exclusive rights deal for WWE premium live events after only a year into a five-year pact, citing a weak media market, culture and synergy issues between ESPN and WWE, and ESPN’s Unlimited streaming bundle struggles with cable providers. The piece notes leadership-level misalignment during deal formation and launch, ESPN’s heavy WWE promotion on SportsCenter facing pushback from traditional sports fans, and the possibility that a renewal could still occur if a big subscriptions or distribution deal materializes, but no decision has been made yet.
Disney is offering a time-limited Voluntary Early Retirement Offer (VERO) to eligible U.S.-based executives (director through EVP) at Disney Entertainment, ESPN, and corporate divisions who are at least 50 years old and have 10+ years with the company. The package includes separation pay, continued vesting of equity awards, healthcare at active-employee rates, and ongoing Silver Pass access to Disney parks. The move accompanies broader cost-cutting and recent ESPN layoffs, with more cuts anticipated; participation will depend on individual decisions.
ESPN is raising prices for its Select and Unlimited streaming plans, with Select going to $13.99/month and Unlimited to $31.99/month (annuals also increasing). Disney Plus bundles that include ESPN Select are getting more expensive, while bundles with ESPN Unlimited arent affected. The changes take effect September 17 and represent ESPN0s first standalone price hike since the service launched.
ESPN is raising prices for ESPN Select and ESPN Unlimited, effective September 17, and related Disney+/Hulu bundles follow suit. ESPN Select goes to $14/month (from $13) or $140/year (from $130); ESPN Unlimited rises to $32/month (from $30) or $320/year (from $300). Bundles tying Disney+ and Hulu (with ads) increase to $22/month (from $20), while ad-free bundles rise to $33/month (from $30). The legacy ad-free Disney+/Hulu/ESPN Select bundle goes from $25 to $28/month. ESPN Unlimited bundles are not affected. This is the first price update since ESPN revamped its streaming strategy.
ESPN is increasing the price of ESPN Unlimited from $29.99 to $31.99 per month starting Sept. 17, with the annual plan rising to $319.99. ESPN Select also climbs to $13.99/month (annual up $10). Subscribers on the Disney+/Hulu bundle will keep paying $36/month, and most ESPN Unlimited users are on that bundle. It’s unclear how the change will affect other bundles like Fox One or NFL+ Premium, but the move aligns with broader streaming price hikes.
ESPN Unlimited, the home for WWE Premium Live Events, will raise its prices: monthly from $29.99 to $31.99 and annual from $299.99 to $319.99, effective September 17, 2026. ESPN Select plans also increase, and Peacock likewise announced price hikes.
ESPN announced a price increase for its ESPN Unlimited service, raising monthly price from $29.99 to $31.99 and annual price from $299.99 to $319.99, with the change taking effect September 17. Sports Media Watch notes that subscribers on the ESPN/Hulu/Disney+ bundle aren’t affected, and it’s unclear if other bundles will be impacted. ESPN Unlimited launched about a year ago and has hosted WWE premium live events since Wrestlepalooza last year.
ESPN's College GameDay opens the 2026 season with three consecutive SEC stops—LSU in Week 1, Texas in Week 2, and Ole Miss in Week 3—featuring LSU hosting Clemson Week 1 and Texas vs. Ohio State Week 2; the piece notes Lane Kiffin's move to LSU and marks the show’s 40th season and 500th road edition, with Week Zero replaced by a special College Football Countdown edition.
In the Raiders’ preseason win over the Texans, No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza kept his spirits high after a pick-six and delivered a memorable moment on ESPN by telling Laura Rutledge to relay a greeting to Joe Buck, sparking laughter from Buck and Troy Aikman as they shared light banter during the broadcast.
ESPN has updated its Little League World Series coverage for Friday, Aug. 21 due to weather-related postponements in Williamsport, listing the games that will air on ESPN networks with times and matchups, noting which games won’t be broadcast, and confirming streaming on the ESPN App with a subscription.