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ESPN vs ESPN+: Complete Guide [2024]

ESPN vs ESPN+:  Complete Guide [2024]

ESPN vs ESPN+: When the sporty season arrives and your favourite footballer, cricketer, or basketball player steps on the big grounds, you certainly do not want to miss the chance of live streaming and scores viewing.

You can view these matches when you are at home on weekends and holidays. However, tournaments and matches do not only take place on holidays and weekends. What will you do when you want to view the score or highlights of the ongoing live match of your favourite team but you are sadly stuck doing your office work?

At times like these, you will have to search for a trustworthy app or an online platform which will keep you updated minute by minute. Where can you find a free service provider or a platform which gives you exclusive information in return for a few bucks?

ESPN and ESPN+ are two of the best choices you have in the above-mentioned situation. Should you focus on ESPN service providers' free facilities or maybe think about spending a bunch of dollars per month in return for exclusive content which is rare to find online easily? If they both are from a single owner then what is the difference between them?

To get the difference between ESPN and ESPN+ and data which can help you decide which one is more suitable for you, have a look at our comparison article between ESPN and ESPN+ mentioned below.

What is ESPN?

ESPN vs ESPN+ comparison

ESPN is a USA-based international cable sports channel owned and handled by ESPN Inc, The Walt Disney Company and Hearst Communications. ESPN's website and platform are an ideal place for millions of sports lovers across the world. 

The platform is accessible by every nation and is famous for providing accurate and last-minute updated news about live matches. Along with the same, it also gives you information about the past matches and officials as well as raw announcements of upcoming and future tournaments.

The platform provides you with news coverage regarding every highlight and heading trending in the sports industry. Let it be about the latest match in any sporting category or about a certain famous footballer or cricketer — ESPN has covered everything for you.

The platform is convenient to use anytime and anywhere. whenever you want to check the scores of the latest match or live match and you took a 5-minute break from work — ESPN will tell you each and every highlight of the match. It is a leading company providing detailed information in seconds.

Add their website you will get data about — X Games, NCAAW, NCAAF, NASCAR, NCAAM, WWE, MLB, NFL, MMA, NBA, F1, Asian games, kabaddi, rugby, MotoGP, chess, Golfs, badminton, athletics, shooting, wrestling, hockey, boxing, tennis, Olympic sports, football and cricket-like sports and tournaments from across the world.

Features 

  • Along with the scores, you also get to hear famous commentators commenting on the live matches.
  • You get to read the news coverage as soon as you visit their website. The trending headlines will be shown in the form of a list.
  • They offer a big variety of sports and tournaments for live viewing and after viewing too.
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What is ESPN+?

ESPN+ live sports information

ESPN Plus is an over-the-top subscription video streaming service available to only USA residents. It is an upgraded or premium version of the ESPN network. They both are owned and handled by Disney media and entertainment distribution along with ESPN Inc.

ESPN plus unlike ESPN will allow you to sign up for your account and get full access to 30 out of 30 libraries present on their platform. You get to stream live events of different sports from across the world. Along with the same, you get to watch the originals and highlights in the form of videos from past matches.

Unlike ESPN, ESPN plus will ask you for a certain amount as your monthly subscription in return for their premium services. It has a good set of fantasy tools. You can stream exclusive live sports which are not available on free and pirated websites. From UFC to college basketball — ESPN plus has many more sports and tournaments to offer.

Although it is similar to ESPN, ESPN plus still has a different website and different user interface. Unlike ESPN, ESPN plus has a black and white combination with different colours at small spots enhancing the look of the website.

XFL, WWE, WNBA, NCAAW, NCAAM, NCAAF, NBA G League, NASCAR, MMA, F1, CFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, NFL, X Games, Rugby, Recruiting BB, recruiting FB, Racing, Olympic sports, little league World Series, horse racing, golf, cricket, college sports, Chalk, boxing, tennis and soccer are the tournaments and sports you get the content for at ESPN+.

Features

  • It has a good looking and powerful user interface while it is completely user-friendly.
  • All the services it offers were available in the category section list at the top of the landing page. Once you sign up or sign in, you can browse the data just by clicking on the preferred category.
  • As soon as you step on the website — you get information about the topics by the website for you, the upcoming events along with the time and day, the spotlight of the film, etc.
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What is the difference between ESPN vs ESPN+?

Type

ESPN is a channel. It can be viewed on your television or you can use it through any search engine. Its website can be accessed through both cell phones and desktops. Tablets are too included in the list.

ESPN+ is a service provided by the owner and it is not a channel like ESPN.

App

ESPN has an app which can be downloaded on tablets and smartphones. It has a similar user interface to the website and is user-friendly.

ESPN plus does not have an app and is a standalone service which can only be used through online means.

Cost

ESPN, both its website and application, is free to use. You are not required to pay a single penny for reading their articles, viewing the scoreboard present on their website, etc.

As for ESPN plus, it will cost you $6.99 each month or you can opt for a yearly payment charged at $69.99 and save some money. In case, if you were wondering about the free trial facility then, unfortunately, ESPN plus does not provide a free trial service.

Coverage

ESPN allows news and other media coverage for everyone to view, who visits their website or uses their app.

Meanwhile, ESPN plus will only allow you to view their coverage if you have paid for any of the two subscriptions and are a member of their premium community.

Content-Type

ESPN provides standard content which can be found on other illegal as well as legal websites and platforms. People still choose ESPN because this platform rarely glitches and like it claims, it provides you with accurate last-minute updates from the live matches.

ESPN plus does not present standard content. It only has exclusive content which includes on-demand videos and stories which cannot be simply found on free websites and apps.

What is required for streaming?

Not only for streaming but to view the content by ESPN, you require a participating cable or an internet service provider who will do too.

As long as you have an ESPN plus subscription, you can view the content and stream as much as you want.

Does ESPN+ include ESPN?

No. ESPN plus can be a premium version of the ESPN network but is completely different in several ways from the aforementioned. Not only with ESPN, ESPN plus differs from its other sister channels like ESPN2 and ESPNews cable networks.

All the ESPN channels were launched to provide customers with different data and content to stream and view. None of them will have something similar like they are sister channels. That is why ESPL plus does not include any category and service provided by the ESPN channel or app.

ESPN+ Channels 

ESPN plus allows you to buy its channels package for $5.99 per month. In this package, you will get more than a thousand live sports along with 35+ shows to stream and view afterwards. Along with the channels, You get additional benefits like,

  1. You can stream live sports.
  2. You will get two views and stream exclusive coverage from UFC tournaments.
  3. You will get an option to download the eligible content for offline viewing.

Conclusion 

ESPN and ESPN plus are two different channels from a single owner. Although they have few similarities and objectives, that does not make them similar in any way. They provide different content, one charges you a subscription while another does not ask for a single dollar and many more points define the difference between ESPN and ESPN+.

Frequently asked Questions 

Can you watch ESPN with ESPN+?

No, you can not. ESPN and ESPN+ are two different service providers by their owners and do not serve anything from their sister channels.

Are ESPN and ESPN+ the same? 

No, ESPN and ESPN+ are not the same. They both were born from ESPN Inc and serve in the sports industry but that is it. They provide their customers with different content and are different in many ways.