Little League® Baseball and Softball will see significantly expanded coverage of the Little League International Tournament starting in 2018 with games streamed live on ESPN+, the new direct-to-consumer subscription streaming service from Disney Direct-to-Consumer and International and ESPN. More than 150 Little League Baseball and Softball games will be available exclusively on the new ESPN+ platform, expanding Little League’s tournament coverage to more than 230 games in total.
“Since first televising our Little League Baseball and Softball World Series on ESPN, we have been seeking additional opportunities to promote the benefits of participation for our young female athletes around the world,” said Stephen D. Keener, Little League President and CEO. “ESPN + will serve as a great platform to continue to grow the promotion of our softball program and to share the many benefits millions of young boys and girls enjoy each summer.”
“We are excited to be able to offer a substantially increased number of games across Little League International’s many baseball and softball divisions with the launch of ESPN+,” said Burke Magnus, ESPN executive vice president, programming and scheduling. “These are marquee events every summer and now we will be able to bring even more of these exciting tournament games to the viewers.”
The newly launched ESPN+, which is available within the ESPN App and on ESPN.com, will offer Little League fans the opportunity to watch more than 150 games exclusively through the new platform, including:
- Expanded coverage of the Little League Softball® and Little League Baseball® Regional Tournament games;
- The early-round games of the Little League Softball World Series in Portland, Ore.;
- The semifinals of the Little League Intermediate (50/70) Baseball Division World Series in Livermore, Calif.
This will mark the first time that Little League Softball World Series, as well as all U.S. Regional Tournaments at the Little League Softball division, will be covered in their entirety. The 2018 broadcast schedule will feature a record 233 Little League International Tournament games on the ESPN family of networks and ABC, an increase of 93 games over last year’s schedule.
ESPN+ officially launched on April 12 and offers fans a dynamic lineup of live sports, original content, and an unmatched library of award-winning on-demand programming – all for a subscription price of $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year. All Little League® Baseball and Softball content on ESPN+ is exclusive to the platform, and available to anyone in the U.S., regardless of location or cable subscription service.
The full, detailed schedule for the 2018 Little League World Series, including full network listings for all seven World Series and Regional events, can be found by visiting LittleLeague.org/WSSchedule.