ESPN+ lost 700,000 subscribers by the end of 2024 amid ongoing struggles to maintain growth, coinciding with the start of exclusive negotiations for a new UFC broadcast rights deal, while Disney’s sports division saw flat revenue but improved operating income.
ESPN+ wrapped up 2024 with a loss of 700,000 subscribers. The streaming platform is grappling to sustain long-term growth. This subscriber dip coincides with the start of exclusive negotiations with the UFC for a new broadcast rights deal in January.
Disney released its financials for Q4 2024 on Wednesday, revealing ESPN+’s three percent subscriber drop. That’s 700,000 fewer people tuning in. Despite this, ESPN+ still boasts 24.9 million subscribers. Disney’s sports division revenue stayed flat at $4.85 billion, yet operating income flipped from a loss in 2023 to a $247 million gain in 2024.
It’s a tough trend for ESPN+. After initial growth spurts post-launch, recent years have been rocky. In May 2024, they lost subscribers in three out of four quarters, landing at 24.8 million.
Now? A slight increase to 24.9 million, but not massive year-on-year growth. Plus, ESPN plans to launch a new streaming service by Fall 2025 featuring flagship channels like ESPN and ESPN2.
The UFC content largely resides on ESPN+, even though it’s aired across all ESPN networks. Disney CEO Bob Iger emphasized accessibility during a financial call: “Some will consume through an app, others via traditional bundles.”
The struggle for growth is concerning as UFC negotiates a new broadcast rights deal. ESPN holds exclusive rights until April 15. Yet, it’s unlikely they’ll finalize before that deadline; afterward, other bidders can join the fray.
Rumors swirl about Netflix and Amazon entering the bidding war. The UFC seeks over $1 billion annually for broadcast rights.
Netflix won’t reveal subscriber numbers in 2025 but ended last year with over 301 million subscribers—a jump of 13.12 million from Q3 to Q4. They also secured a five-year, $10 billion deal for WWE’s Monday Night Raw.
This WWE deal was negotiated by TKO Group Holdings’ CEO Ari Emanuel and President Mark Shapiro—the same duo expected to handle UFC talks this year.