The rollout for ESPN\u2019s new and improved direct-to-consumer app has been confusing to say the least.<\/p>\n
The company has been steadfast in its marketing: \u201cAll of ESPN. All in one place.\u201d No matter how or where you get ESPN, be that through a traditional cable bundle or paying the network directly, you\u2019ll get everything the Worldwide Leader has to offer.<\/p>\n
Except, that\u2019s not quite how it has worked, at least for the time being. Major distributors like Comcast and YouTube TV, which combine for over 20 million subscribers, are still on the outside looking in when it comes to having full access to the exclusive live programming being housed on the new ESPN app. And with the first major app-exclusive live event coming this Saturday, WWE\u2019s Wrestlepalooza, confusion will be at an all-time high<\/a>.<\/p>\n And according to JT Lasker, SVP of direct-to-consumer at ESPN, it will stay that way through this weekend. When asked by Awful Announcing during a press availability on Wednesday whether ESPN would offer some form of limited accessibility for pay TV subscribers that don\u2019t currently have access to ESPN Unlimited, the company\u2019s premium app tier that will house\u00a0Wrestlepalooza, Lasker said no. That means WWE fans who get ESPN through distributors like Comcast, YouTube TV, Cox, Sling TV, and others, will need to, in essence, double pay for ESPN if they want access to Saturday\u2019s event.<\/p>\n But per Lasker, this accessibility issue won\u2019t last long. The ESPN executive says the \u201cvast majority\u201d of distributors whose subscribers aren\u2019t currently able to authenticate into ESPN Unlimited will be able to do so by year\u2019s end. That timeline, quite frankly, would be worst case scenario, as ESPN\/Disney have deals expiring with Google and Comcast as soon as next month<\/a>. If the network and its distribution partners want to avoid blackouts with those major platforms, the deals will need to come to fruition much sooner than the end of the calendar year.<\/p>\n So while this is a short-term issue for ESPN, it\u2019s bound to create a number of unhappy wrestling fans come this Saturday. ESPN, for its part, says it\u2019s doing its best to communicate to pay TV subscribers that currently have access to ESPN Unlimited \u2014 including Charter, Verizon, and DirecTV customers \u2014 that they will be able to watch Wrestlepalooza free of charge this Saturday. However, the company also says it is not planning any outreach to customers that won\u2019t have access to the event, which will be the very same customers that will be the most upset and the most confused.<\/p>\n