This summer, Little League® fans around the world will have the opportunity to watch almost twice as many games as last year thanks to the recent launch of ESPN+, the new direct-to-consumer subscription streaming service from Disney Direct-to-Consumer and International Group, in conjunction with ESPN. Highlighting the expanded Little League coverage in 2018 will be a major increase in softball coverage with more than 100 softball games available live on the ESPN Family of Networks. The full detailed schedule of all Little League coverage on ESPN+ and the ESPN Family of Networks is available at LittleLeague.org/WSSchedule.
“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.”
This summer marks 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. With the entire tournament now being broadcasted, the 2018 Little League Softball Regional and World Series events will also feature the use of replay for the first time this summer, marking the first usage by any softball organization. Originally implemented in 2008 at the Little League Baseball® World Series for the first time by any baseball organization, replay will now be available in every game of the Little League Baseball and Little League Softball Regional and World Series games this July and August.
Coverage of the 2018 Little League World Series begins on Saturday, July 21 with eight Little League Softball Regional tournaments being broadcasted throughout the day on ESPN+, starting at 10 a.m. with an Eastern Regional Tournament matchup between New Jersey and Connecticut in Bristol, Conn. Over the course of 37 days, more than 230 baseball and softball games will be available on the ESPN Family of Networks for Little League fans from all over to enjoy. Of those 230 games, there will be a total of 56 baseball and 95 softball games available exclusively on ESPN+.
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 and information on how to watch the games through ESPN+, is available on LittleLeague.org. For more information on Little League Softball, including how to get involved in a community near you, visit LittleLeague.org/Softball.