Quick Answer
How many subscribers does ESPN have in 2025?
ESPN has 76 million paid subscribers.
How many subscribers does ESPN have in 2025?
Let’s find out.
ESPN or the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network is a cable network launched in 1979.
It broadcasts sports-related programs including sports news coverage, recorded and live sports events, shows, highlights, scores, and expert analysis.
Users can also stream thousands of live sports, original shows, and docuseries on ESPN+ that are not available on ESPN.
In recent years, cable networks struggle in terms of numbers of subscribers and viewers since there are already streaming services offered.
ESPN recorded around 76 million subscribers in the United States with an average of 812,000 viewers per day in 2022.
How Many Subscribers Does ESPN Have in 2025?
According to ESPN, it has around 76 million US pay-TV subscribers.
It experienced a 24% decrease from 100 million subscribers over a decade ago and a 10% decrease from 84 million subscribers in 2020.
While the cable network has struggled through the years, the ESPN streaming service gained continuous growth in paid subscribers.
ESPN+ recorded a 5.1 million increase in the number of subscribers from 2021 to Q3 2022.
It has approximately 22.8 million subscribers in Q3 2022 compared to 17.1 million subscribers in 2021.
ESPN by Viewers
According to statistics, ESPN has been one of the top-rated and most-watched cable networks.
It was revealed that the total viewership from morning until early evening was up by 32% with an average of 812,000 viewers in Q1 2022.
ESPN acquires more viewers from 8 AM until 10 PM. The platform’s primetime viewership was up by 40% with more than 2 million viewers.
ESPN Most-Watched Programs
ESPN’s most-watched game since 2009 and third-best in ESPN history is Monday Night Football with around 20 million viewers.
While the most-watched telecast in ESPN history is Serena William’s Swan Song at the US Open with approximately 6.9 million views.
ESPN Demographics
Based on the 2018 statistics, the age group of ESPN viewers was mostly from 30 to 49 years old accounting for 49.67%. It was followed by ages 50 to 64 years old accounting for 41.29%.
In a recent survey, the age group who listed ESPN.com as their preferred sports site is from 18 to 24 years old with 33%. It is followed by ages 25 to 34 years old with 25%.
How to Personalize an Account on ESPN?
Sports enthusiasts are the target audience of ESPN.
Users can set up a personal account based on their favorite sports, players, and teams. Before setting up an account, users should register to ESPN.com.
Here is how users can register for a free ESPN account:
- On a web browser, visit https://www.espn.ph/
- Click the profile icon at the top right corner of the page
- Click “Log In”
- Click the “Sign Up” button
After successfully registering, users can personalize their account by these easy steps:
- Click “Log In” located at the homepage of https://www.espn.ph/
- Open the drop-down menu located at the user profile icon
- Click the gear icon to the right of the “Favorites” button
- Check the Favorites settings at the “Manage Favorites” button
Watch ESPN without Cable
Not all sports fanatics have a sports cable network in their household.
Consumers without cable don’t have to worry since there are services where people can watch every sports coverage.
Here are some of the best services to watch ESPN without cable:
- ESPN on Sling Orange
- ESPN on Sling Orange + Blue
- ESPN on DirecTV Stream
- ESPN on Hulu with Live TV
- ESPN on FuboTV
- ESPN on FuboTV Elite
- ESPN on YouTube TV
- ESPN on Vidgo
- ESPN on Spectrum TV Choice
ESPN+ Subscription Plan
ESPN’s subscription-based streaming service plan offers a “monthly subscription plan” for $9.99 per month.
It gives access to live sports streaming, live events and shows, and live college games.
It also offers an “annual subscription plan” for $99.99 per year with the same inclusion as the monthly subscription plan.
ESPN+ premium plan offers the “Disney Bundle (ad-supported)” priced at $13.99 per month, and the “Disney Bundle (ad-free)” priced at $13.99 per month.
This includes ESPN+, Disney+, and Hulu.
How to Sign Up for ESPN+
Sports fans start streaming live sports and games, as well as sports original series from the best leagues on ESPN+.
Users need to sign up and get a subscription plan before they can catch up on the latest sports coverage.
Here is how users can sign up using a web browser:
- On a web browser, visit https://www.espn.com/
- Click the ESPN icon
- Click the “Sign Up” button
- Input personal information including email address and password
- Click “Sign Up”
- Choose the best subscription plan
- Input payment details
- Click “Buy ESPN+”
Users can consider using a VPN for ESPN to increase geo-availability.
ESPN Revenue
ESPN makes money from the fees charged per subscriber, advertising, and streaming services. It generated approximately $11.4 billion in revenue.
Affiliate fees bring $8.6 billion, advertising fees bring $2.3 billion, and streaming fees bring $0.5 billion.
The network’s streaming service acquired an average monthly revenue of $4.73 per subscriber in the second quarter of 2022.
Where Does ESPN Spend Its Money?
As the network generates revenue, it also has significant expenses each year, particularly when acquiring broadcasting and sports rights.
In 2015, the company reported its sports content costs approximately $5.0 billion. After a few years, it reported $8.8 billion in sports programming commitments.
Aside from the broadcasting and sports rights costs, ESPN pays millions of dollars for on-air professionals, overhead, and supporting staff.
Conclusion
Despite the huge number of sports enthusiasts, sports cable networks’ subscribers are struggling in numbers.
ESPN experienced a drop in subscribers in 2022 from its subscribers over a decade ago.
It had more than 100 million subscribers in 2011 compared to around 76 million subscribers this year.
One reason for decreasing in subscribers is the streaming services that offer access to live sports, events, and exclusive sports originals.
Another reason is the services such as Sling Orange, Fubo, DirecTV, Vidgo, and more where people can watch sports coverage without cable networks.
Thanks for reading our article about how many subscribers does ESPN have in 2025.
Sources
| Definitions | Axios | Disney |
| Statista | ESPN Press Room | MyWallSt |
| Statista | ESPN Press Room | ESPN Press Room |
| ESPN Plus | ESPN | Statista |
| ESPN |
