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Five bucks will get you the new ESPN+ service, starting April 12

The new streaming sports network is that latest in a la carte TV content.

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Dan Ackerman Editorial Director / Computers and Gaming
Dan Ackerman leads CNET's coverage of computers and gaming hardware. A New York native and former radio DJ, he's also a regular TV talking head and the author of "The Tetris Effect" (Hachette/PublicAffairs), a non-fiction gaming and business history book that has earned rave reviews from the New York Times, Fortune, LA Review of Books, and many other publications. "Upends the standard Silicon Valley, Steve Jobs/Mark Zuckerberg technology-creation myth... the story shines." -- The New York Times
Expertise I've been testing and reviewing computer and gaming hardware for over 20 years, covering every console launch since the Dreamcast and every MacBook...ever. Credentials
  • Author of the award-winning, NY Times-reviewed nonfiction book The Tetris Effect; Longtime consumer technology expert for CBS Mornings
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Dan Ackerman
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ESPN

We've known about Disney's plans for a standalone ESPN service for some time now, including its $4.99 per month price, but some of the exact launch date and other details have been a mystery, until now. In a news release, the broadcaster says:

ESPN+, the upcoming direct-to-consumer subscription streaming service from Disney Direct-to-Consumer and International in partnership with ESPN and featuring ESPN branded content, will launch on April 12 and offer fans a dynamic lineup of live sports, original content and an unmatched library of award-winning on-demand programming – all for a subscription price of $4.99 per month.

The service will include specialty programming for sports like rugby and cricket, along with 180 Major League Baseball games, 180 NHL games, boxing, golf and more -- but no NFL games. 

This is the first standalone streaming network from Disney, but it won't be the last. The company is planning a Netflix-style service for Disney and Star Wars films, which should launch next year.