Subscriber losses at The Walt Disney Co. were about 3% for fiscal Q1, a “modest” improvement over the previous quarter and driven largely by deals the programmer has struck with emerging digital multichannel video programming distributors.

Disney has taken it on the chin over the past few years over subscriber losses, particularly at its ESPN sports network, once thought to be a must-have channel for distributors.

On a conference call with analysts to discuss FYQ1 results, Disney chairman and CEO Bob Iger said subscriber losses were rounded up to 3% in Q1, representing a slight improvement over FYQ4.

ESPN had been expected to improve its subscriber erosion largely due to new carriage deals, which in some instances include a step-up in the mandatory minimum carriage requirements for the networks.

On the conference call, Iger said there is another factor at play.     

“We’re noticing that people are coming into the multichannel world that were previously considered to be cord-nevers,” Iger said. “Clearly the lower price, the fewer channels and the more mobile-first and improved user experience are all having an impact on attracting new consumers. We believe the trends in terms of growth in the new over-the-top or digital platforms will continue and hopefully they’ll continue to offset – because the growth is getting compelling – the losses on the traditional side.”

Disney is going all-in on digital delivery of content. It is planning to drastically alter its ESPN app and its planned direct-to-consumer offering ESPN Plus, slated for a spring release, will include thousands of hours of additional live sports content and original programming for $4.99 per month. ESPN Plus will be available through the ESPN app, which will also include highly personalized scores, highlights and podcasts as well as access to live streams of all of ESPN’s networks.

Disney’s ESPN and Freeform networks will offer their respective apps to Samsung Smart TVs, the companies announced Wednesday.

The agreement calls for the ESPN and Freeform apps to be available to 2017 Samsung Smart TVs beginning today, according to Disney. The ESPN app will be accessible to Samsung Smart TVs made prior to 2017 at a later date, while the Freeform app is currently available to all models, said Disney. 

In addition to today’s launch, the apps are also accessible on computers, smartphones, tablets and streaming devices to fans that receive their video subscription from an affiliated provider, said the company.

ESPN will livestream 11 regular-season WNBA games during the league's current season, the network announced Thursday (May 25).

The package of livestreamed games, which will appear on the ESPN app, will launch next Tuesday (May 30) with the Indiana Fever-Dallas Wings game. Future live game streams will feature such teams as the San Antonio Stars, the Seattle Storm, the Chicago Sky and the New York Liberty, network officials said. 

The WNBA-ESPN streaming deal comes on the heels of a three-year streaming deal reached last week between the WNBA and Twitter.

 The ESPN/WNBA streaming schedule is as follows:

DateGame

May 30                Indiana at Dallas

June 6                  Seattle at San Antonio

June 13                Atlanta at Seattle

June 23                Connecticut at New York

                           Chicago at Atlanta

                           Dallas at San Antonio

June 29                New York at Washington

July 25                 Chicago at Connecticut

                           Phoenix at Atlanta

                           Indiana at Dallas

Aug. 10                San Antonio at Chicago

ESPN has unleashed a redesigned streaming app for tvOS, the operating system for current-gen Apple TV box.

Now called the ESPN App (rather than WatchESPN), the redesigned platform for the Apple TV box includes several new features, including the auto-play of a live stream from one of ESPN’s networks for authenticated users, and a new interface that shows “Featured” content and the ability to browse videos by sports, events or channels.

The new app also includes a curated VOD library that features “hundreds” of hours of additional content from 30 for 30, E:60, Outside the Lines, SC Featured, World Series of Poker, and X Games coverage.

ESPN said it introduced the update ahead of the network premiere of We the Fans, an eight-episode original series that chronicles the lives of Chicago season ticket holders in Soldier Fiel’s Section 250 during the 2016 season. ESPN will offer the first episodes of the series via the WatchESPN app and the ESPN App (for Apple TV) on April 9, two days before its debut on regular TV.

“From replays to full episodes of on-demand content prior to their telecast premieres, ESPN’s tvOS app is now so much more than our live streaming networks,” Ryan Spoon, ESPN’s senior vice president of digital product, design and audience development, said in a statement. “With this latest update, authenticated users now have the full benefit of engaging with a wide range of live and on-demand video content from the very first click into what is now the ESPN App on Apple TV.”

ESPN has launched a new version of its sports info app that’s been optimized for iOS smartphones and iPads and Android handsets, with plans underway to extend that work to Android-powered tablets as well.

The new, customizable ESPN App, not to be confused with the WatchESPN authenticated TV Everywhere app, features up-to-the-minute scores, news and video highlights. Among other new features, it lets users share content on Facebook, Twitter, via email and SMS, and offers a “NOW” view that blends ESPN updates on any sport or team with the latest available photos, videos and social media content.  Via its On-Air tab, the app also integrates free access to the live ESPN  Radio stream.

The overhaul, versoin 4.2 of the app, also drops SportsCenter branding, which had earlier been tapped to replace the app’s original ScoreCenter branding. 

In a post about the changes and the new app, Ryan Spoon, ESPN’s SVP, digital product placement, noted that the sports programmer is in the process of creating a consistent look and feel across the ESPN Website and ESPN  app. 

“With today’s release, we begin the process of unifying those experiences through a single brand, a common aesthetic and consistent interface,” he noted. “As we redesign ESPN.com and build all of these products globally, we are excited to have ESPN be the consistent brand across a unified suite of products.

And the new approach will probably play better on the international stage. "SportsCenter means a lot here. It doesn't mean as much when you get out of the United States," John Kosner, ESPN's executive vice president of digital, told The Verge. 

Spoon added that the new iPad release is actually an extension of the iPhone app, enabling what amounts to a universal app that runs across iOS devices.

“And we of course have several enhancements and new features coming in the subsequent weeks, including a version for Android tablets,” Spoon said, noting that the app will share aspects of the new version of ESPN.com, coming in April.