• Join Puck

    Directly Supporting Authors

    A new economic model in which writers are also partners in the business.

    Personalized Subscriptions

    Customize your settings to receive the newsletters you want from the authors you follow.

    Stay in the Know

    Connect directly with Puck talent through email and exclusive events.

  • What is puck? Newsletters Authors Podcasts Events Gift Puck Careers

Jimmy on the Spot

ESPN hopes its new D.T.C. streaming service… err, app… will become the first stop for sports fans looking to watch a game, place a bet, play fantasy, and anything else sports-related. But it’s a lot harder than it looks—just ask Netflix.

Inner Circle Exclusive
jimmy pitaro
Pitaro’s team must achieve what no other streaming platform, including Netflix, has yet managed to pull off: transforming itself into a multifaceted, multi-operational service, combining live games with betting, fantasy sports, articles from trusted reporters, and live updates from ESPN personalities. Photo: Celeste Sloman for The Washington Post/Courtesy of Getty Images
Julia Alexander
May 20, 2025

Perhaps the most important thing we learned last week, when Jimmy Pitaro formally announced ESPN’s new streaming service, is what this long-awaited product is not. For one, it won’t be called Flagship. More importantly, it won’t be the next Netflix. Indeed, the decision to simply name the new service ESPN befits Disney’s appropriately cautious ambitions for its new direct-to-consumer product.

Inner Circle Exclusive

Join us in the Inner Circle

Becoming an Inner Circle member now takes you even more inside to exclusive coverage you won't get anywhere else
Join Inner Circle
  • Exclusive bonus days of select newsletters
  • Exclusive access to Puck merch
  • Early bird access to new Editorial and Product features
  • Invitations to private conference calls with Puck authors