ESPN might give TV a miss with direct-to-web sports package

ESPN the world leader in sports, who has been on the forefront of streaming for years with its expansive WatchESPN service, is ready to join the bandwagon of internet-streaming services.

According to a new report from The Information, ESPN is planning to skip TV providers and sell "direct-to-web live-sports package" to consumers, that would include only niche leagues and some college sports, but none of the network's blue-chip content like NFL or NBA games.

As more people abandon their cable deals and move to internet streaming services like Netflix, sports giant ESPN has lost millions of subscribers, hurting Disney's lucrative cable network business. A recent report explains that subscriber counts deferred between October 2014 and 2015 from 95 million to 92 million.

It's not the first time that the company has broken out a non-core sport and sold it as a standalone product to online viewers. In 2015, it offered a subscription to the Cricket World Cup, showing 49 matches over six weeks for a fixed price of $100. In May, ESPN launched an ad campaign promoting its live broadcasts and taking a swipe at streaming services and social media.

However, ESPN has always been hesitant to desert its valuable deals with cable and satellite subscription for access. In January, ESPN president John Skipper said that the firm would only consider online sales if “it will help us grow our business."

He further added, "There are in this country, in the neighbourhood of 100 million people who get paid television. ESPN remains in over 90 percent of those homes," he said. "We are focused on what to do for those homes that we're not in."

ESPN is yet to comment on the Information report.