This is how ESPN is going to stay relevant.
It's not going to take long for Disney+ to become a behemoth in the streaming industry. And they will bring ESPN right along with them.
They'll still get their money from the cable/satellite companies, to some degree, but they'll put more and more content on ESPN+. If I had to bet, it won't be long before the main ESPN network will be available to stream, and bundling it with other services like Disney+ and Hulu will attract more casual viewers who might not have subscribed to a standalone espn streaming service. It will be another revenue stream for them, one that their competition won't be able to easily compete with, simply because they won't have the 800lb gorilla that is Disney in their corner.