Last week, Disney announced a deal with French sports media group L’Équipe to include, for the first time in France, access to a live linear channel as part of a Disney+ subscription. Through La Chaîne L’Équipe, Disney+ subscribers will now be able to watch live coverage of motorsports, athletics, or winter sports events, among others, as well as daily sports talk shows or sports-related documentaries. This deal has to be seen in the light of Disney’s accelerating sports strategy outside North America, particularly in Western Europe and Australia & New Zealand. Indeed, a key pillar of this strategy has been the international expansion of ESPN content within Disney+, instead of launching a D2C version of ESPN internationally. Australia and New Zealand became test markets for this approach in 2025, when Disney launched an ESPN hub directly within the Disney+ interface. Subscribers gained access to thousands of hours of live sports, ESPN and ESPN2 linear channels, highlights, documentaries, and flagship studio shows. The Australian and New Zealand markets were particularly attractive because Disney already controlled ESPN’s rights portfolio in the region, including NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, college sports, and several international competitions. Therefore, the integration of ESPN aims to help Disney+ strengthen its position against competitors, should it be sports-dedicated platforms like Kayo or Stan Sport, or more generalist entertainment platforms like Netflix or Prime Video. Two months ago, Disney announced the expansion of ESPN on Disney+ in more than 50 countries across Europe and Asia-Pacific. In Europe, this follows several key sports media rights agreements. Since last summer, Disney+ has become the new exclusive rights holder of the UEFA Women’s Champions League across Europe until the 2029/30 season. In addition to this pan-European deal, Disney also pursues a more localized strategy to acquire select premium properties that can differentiate its service. The Nordics are, in that regard, a key region for Disney+. Indeed, its most significant move was the acquisition of some exclusive rights to UEFA’s club competitions. In Sweden, Disney+ will cover every UEFA competition for the 2027-31 cycle, while rights to UEFA Europa League & Conference League have been secured for Denmark (it was already the case in both Denmark & Sweden since the 2024/25 season for these two competitions). Disney+ also shows one LaLiga game per fixture in the UK. Beyond the rights themselves, the partnership with L'Équipe demonstrates Disney’s willingness to collaborate with established local media brands rather than relying solely on rights acquired directly or by ESPN. This partnership is strategically important because it provides Disney+ with sports news, debate programs, and a strong local editorial voice that resonates with French audiences. It also reduces the need for costly direct rights acquisitions while enhancing the platform’s...
