$DIS LAUNCHES ESPN APP FOR CORD-CUTTERS Disney is rolling out a new ESPN app Thursday that gives fans full access to the network’s live sports and content outside of cable for the first time. The service will stream over 47,000 events a year, from the NFL and NBA to tennis and golf, with added personalization like custom SportsCenter recaps, AI narration in the voices of anchors, fantasy stat overlays, and even integrated betting. The app will cost $30 a month, with an intro offer bundling ad-supported Disney+ and Hulu at no extra charge. ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro said the goal is to capture fans who’ve left cable, while still keeping pay TV a big part of the business. ESPN’s reach has fallen from 100M pay TV homes in 2010 to 61M this July, but it remains a profit driver, pulling in $1B of Disney’s $4.6B operating income last quarter. Disney CEO Bob Iger called the app “a sports fan’s dream.”