Do you know anyone who still subscribes to traditional cable? Chances are they also use a streaming service and are considering cutting the cord. By the end of 2026, 75% of U.S. households will no longer have a traditional TV subscription, according to data from Evoca.
While cost and flexibility drive this shift, streaming is no longer the bargain it once was. In 2025, giants like YouTube TV, Netflix, Disney+, and Fubo all hiked their prices.
This is because the industry has pivoted from losing billions to gaining subscribers to focusing on profitability. According to AlixPartners’ 2026 report, platforms such as Netflix and Disney have even stopped using subscriber counts as their primary metric, focusing instead on revenue and engagement.
Further, skyrocketing expenses are forcing these hikes.
“The reason you are seeing price increases is [that] the cost to produce good content and monetize it is only going up,” Adam Deutsch, managing director at Deloitte Consulting, told CNBC. Deutsch notes that the high volume of content required to keep audiences is pushing prices higher, likely leading to a future with fewer, larger players.
The latest in line to increase prices for certain subscribers is ESPN.
ESPN makes cable subscribers pay more to watch some content that was previously available through a standard plan.
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ESPN asks Cable TV subscribers to pay more to access exclusive content
In 2025, ESPN and ESPN on ABC had their most-watched year since 2014, with 621 billion minutes of content consumed, representing a 15% increase year over year, according to ESPN’s press release.
Now, ESPN has restructured its streaming services with a two-tier system: ESPN Select (formerly ESPN+) and the higher-priced ESPN unlimited.
What does this mean?
Under the new system, many bonus feeds and major court streams that were previously available to standard subscribers or cable users now require the more expensive Unlimited plan, reported Cord Cutters News.
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The company’s ESPN Select is priced at $12.99 per month or $129.99 annually. This tier offers various exclusive content, such as additional court streams for tennis, golf, soccer, college sports, and original documentaries.
Now, ESPN Select no longer provides access to some feeds of streaming events it previously offered. For example, fans can no longer stream special features such as specific stadium courts in tennis or alternate “home team” audio feeds in football.
While some cable providers (such as Spectrum) include the Unlimited tier for free, and certain bundles, such as those with Disney+ and Hulu provide Unlimited at promotional rates, sports fans who have neither would have to pay the higher price to access the desired content.
ESPN Unlimited Plan:
- $29.99 a month or $299.99 a year
- Access to all of ESPN’s linear networks — ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, ESPN Deportes, SEC Network, ACC Network — in addition to ESPN on ABC, ESPN+, ESPN3, SECN+, and ACCNX
- 47,000 live events a year, on demand replays, studio shows, original programming and more Source: ESPN
ESPN Unlimited Plan subscribers have access to all ESPN networks, including ESPN+, with events such as NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, tennis and golf majors, top-tier college football and basketball, WWE, and postseason coverage from all those and more.
ESPN Select Plan subscribers have access only to ESPN+, with top-tier soccer, PGA Tour, NHL, UFC and a selection of college sports, tennis, PLL, UFL, and other leagues.
This move is part of ESPN’s strategy to increase revenue by charging more for “premium” digital content, but a number of fans have expressed irritation with the changes.
Fans are frustrated as ESPN cost climbs
Subscribers shared their frustration with the change on Reddit. Users are specifically angry that their YouTube TV (or cable) credentials no longer unlock the full suite of ESPN content they previously enjoyed.
“Not a YouTube TV subscriber but I agree with you. The ESPN channels were blacked out for 2 weeks, so at least give the YTTV subscribers ESPN Unlimited access through the ESPN app. It’s ridiculous that a TV provider login gets you the linear ESPN channels but some of the app-exclusive content requires an extra fee,” wrote user kdex86.
User NoProfit913 commented, “Having one tennis match on ESPN+ and another on ESPN Unlimited is very disjointed from a consumer experience perspective.”
Below the Cord Cutters News Cord Cutters news article, other users also shared their disappointment with the service.
User The Cable Guy shared their experience: “I noticed this problem this morning. I was watching “Sinner” on ESPN2 and then they cut away to another match. Well, I was enjoying the Sinner match. So I had to fire up the ESPN Unlimited to finish watching the match that started on ESPN2. This is a horrible user experience.”