Technologies

ESPN Reportedly Settles on a Super Simple Name for its New Streaming App

The new all-access ESPN app will be different from the ESPN Plus app and include live sports and more.

Companies love to throw the words plus, premium or pro in the names of streaming services to tease extra features worth paying extra for. Now, CNBC is reporting that ESPN has chosen the name of its coming standalone streaming service, and it’s going back to basics: The app will just be called «ESPN.» If true, that’s a simple but practical choice in a market cluttered with streaming services.

«Sports fans — and cord-cutters — should keep an eye on its launch as it’s also set to house content from both ESPN Plus and ESPN’s cable networks, which air live coverage for college football and basketball, NFL, NBA, NHL and WNBA,» said Kourtnee Jackson, streaming editor for CNET.

Read more: Best live TV streaming services

The service is expected to arrive in the fall of 2025. On Disney’s quarterly earnings call Wednesday, Disney CEO Bob Iger said that pricing and bundling deals will drop next week. Previously reported cost estimates were $25 or $30 monthly.

Different than ESPN Plus

The streaming service will include everything that ESPN offers, including live sporting events, documentaries, studio programming and programming on other cable networks like ESPN2, SEC Network and ESPN on ABC. Fantasy sports content and a new interactive betting element — which has yet to be explained — will also be included.

Despite the similar names, the new ESPN streaming service is separate from ESPN Plus, the company’s existing streaming channel. ESPN Plus offers on-demand original content like docuseries and some live sports. It lacks the majority of live games that air on the ESPN cable channel, like MLB and NBA games, an area that the new streaming service will fill. ESPN Plus will remain the less expensive offering at $12 per month, or bundled with Disney+ and Hulu for $17.

Some will get it automatically

ESPN isn’t new, of course. The new ESPN streaming service is just the latest product, building on the concept of the cable channel and the existing ESPN Plus app. There’s a good chance that you may already pay for an existing subscription, perhaps through your cable system.

«One thing to keep in mind is that Disney plans to have additional features in its standalone ESPN streaming service that will not be available on its linear channel,» said Jackson. Linear channel refers to the traditional, non-streaming version of ESPN.

Though regular ESPN subscribers may not have the features now, they will once the service comes out. According to CNBC’s report, those who pay for ESPN through their cable provider will automatically get the new streaming service. This won’t be the case for ESPN Plus users.

A representative for Disney didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for March 15, #1008

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for March 15, No. 1,008

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s NYT Connections puzzle is kind of tough, but the yellow category has some fun options in it. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including the number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Mine, all mine!

Green group hint: A part you might use to build something.

Blue group hint: Blended words.

Purple group hint: Not a cow, but close.

Answers for today’s Connections groups

Yellow group: Greedily control.

Green group: Toothed wheels.

Blue group: Portmanteaux.

Purple group: Bull ____.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is greedily control. The four answers are bogart, corner, hog and monopolize.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is toothed wheels. The four answers are cog, gear, pinion and sprocket.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is portmanteaux. The four answers are blog, motel, smog and spork.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is bull ____. The four answers are dog, doze, frog and horn.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for March 15, #742

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for March 15, No. 742.

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Strands puzzle is fun and timely, relating to a certain big ceremony held this weekend. Some of the answers are difficult to unscramble, so if you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: Best of all

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: The envelope, please.

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

RATE, RATED, DATE, DOTE, DATED, DOTED, GATE, GATES, TROD, TRODS

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers: