Streaming news roundup: Disney's bundle shake-up could change what you pay for ESPN, plus the local-channel switch that starts this week

Disney is phasing out its legacy Disney+/Hulu/ESPN bundles — ending automatic credits and downgrading some ad-free plans — which could quietly raise what sports fans pay for ESPN. Meanwhile, the first of this summer's local-channel switches takes effect Saturday, and there's a fresh wrinkle in the fight that could disrupt the 2027 baseball season.

The gist: This week's changes are about cost and access, not scores. Disney is reshaping its streaming bundles in a way that could quietly raise what a lot of sports fans pay for ESPN; the first of this summer's local-channel switches takes effect Saturday; and there's a new wrinkle in the labor fight that could disrupt the 2027 baseball season. Here's what's changing about where you watch and what it costs.

Disney is phasing out its old bundles — and it could raise your ESPN cost

Disney is accelerating a shift away from its legacy Disney+/Hulu/ESPN bundles — the plans no longer sold to new subscribers — toward Disney+-centric packages, with Hulu nested inside the Disney+ app. For existing subscribers, two changes matter to the wallet: the automatic credits that applied to those multi-service bundles are being discontinued, which raises the net price, and some customers who had ad-free Hulu as part of a discounted bundle are being moved to ad-supported Hulu unless they switch to a newer Disney+ bundle that includes the ad-free tier.

Here's why it lands on sports fans specifically: ESPN's streaming — ESPN+, now branded ESPN Select — rides inside these bundles, and it's where a lot of sports live, including out-of-market NHL (the NHL Power Play package) and other league content. If you've been getting ESPN+ affordably through the old three-service bundle, this is the change that could bump your bill or push you onto a different plan.

It's part of a bigger consolidation: Hulu is folding into the Disney+ app throughout 2026, and the standalone Hulu app is winding down. What to do if you're affected: check your account notifications and email, then compare staying on the legacy plan at the new price against switching to a current Disney+-anchored bundle. In some configurations the newer bundles actually cost less — but they change your primary billing and the app you watch in.

The local-channel switch starts this Saturday

The affiliation changes we covered on Friday begin to take effect August 1, when CBS moves to different stations in six markets: Albuquerque, Jackson, Birmingham, Greenville/Spartanburg, Bismarck, and Rapid City. If you're in one of them: antenna users should rescan on or after Saturday, and cable/satellite/streaming users in the four markets where CBS lands on a digital sub-channel should confirm their provider actually carries it — that's the most likely spot for a game to go missing.

Closer to home, the St. Louis ABC move firmed up over the weekend, with multiple trade outlets confirming it: beginning September 1, ABC shifts off Sinclair's KDNL (Channel 30) — its home since 1995 — to a Gray-owned digital channel (reported as 32.1), with KMOV producing the local news for it.

A new wrinkle in the 2027 baseball question

We flagged in our 2027 MLB schedule piece that next season hinges on labor peace, with a lockout widely expected. A new Forbes report adds a media-side twist: MLB's national TV deals — which expire after 2028 — reportedly include language that would extend them an extra year if a lockout causes too many games to be missed, costing MLB a season of the higher rights fees it's banking on. The same contracts reportedly keep the broadcast partners paying the league during a lockout, with the networks reimbursed for missed games afterward.

Why it matters to you: it's a reminder that the fight shaping whether there's 2027 baseball to watch is real and genuinely complicated — and the TV money is one of the levers that will determine how long any standoff lasts.

Also on the August calendar

• August 3 — the court hearing on whether to keep the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger frozen.
• August 13-29 — NFL preseason, on NFL Network and the ESPN app.
• August 22 — the Bundesliga moves to USA Sports (USA Network and Fandango), off ESPN.

Not sure which of this week's games you can already watch? StreamCaddy maps the cheapest correct way to watch all of your teams and events for your exact location and subscriptions.

Sources

1. Cord Cutters News — "Disney Intensifies Efforts to Shift Subscribers from Legacy Hulu Bundles to Disney+ Centric Plans" (legacy Disney/Hulu/ESPN bundle credits being discontinued; some ad-free Hulu plans moved to ad-supported; Hulu folding into the Disney+ app in 2026; standalone Hulu app winding down), July 26, 2026 — https://cordcuttersnews.com/disney-intensifies-efforts-to-shift-subscribers-from-legacy-hulu-bundles-to-disney-centric-plans-as-they-push-to-merge-hulu-disney/
2. Deadline — "CBS To Switch Affiliation From Nexstar To Hearst TV & Forum Communications Stations In A Half Dozen Markets" (changes effective Aug. 1 in six markets), July 23, 2026 — https://deadline.com/2026/07/cbs-switches-nexstar-station-affiliation-1237001956/
3. The Desk — "Hearst, Forum to acquire CBS affiliation from some Nexstar stations" (CBS moving to digital sub-channels in four of the markets — carriage isn't guaranteed on every provider), July 23, 2026 — https://thedesk.net/2026/07/hearst-to-acquire-cbs-affiliation-from-some-nexstar-stations/
4. Radio & Television Business Report — "Confirmed: Gray Media Grabs ABC Affiliation In St. Louis" (ABC moves from KDNL, an affiliate since Aug. 1995, to a Gray digital channel on Sept. 1; KMOV-produced newscasts), July 24, 2026 — https://rbr.com/confirmed-gray-media-grabs-abc-affiliation-in-st-louis/
5. NewscastStudio — "ABC to move St. Louis affiliation from KDNL to Gray Media" (ABC on over-the-air channel 32.1 beginning Sept. 1, plus cable, satellite and streaming), July 23, 2026 — https://www.newscaststudio.com/2026/07/23/abc-to-move-st-louis-affiliation-from-kdnl-to-gray-media/
6. Awful Announcing — "MLB media rights deals would automatically extend for extra year if lockout extends too long, per report" (citing Maury Brown/Forbes: national deals expire after 2028; a long lockout could tack on an extra year; partners keep paying during a lockout, reimbursed later), July 21, 2026 — https://awfulannouncing.com/mlb/media-rights-deals-automatically-extend-extra-year-lockout-too-long.html
7. ESPN Press Room — "NFL Network presents 2026 preseason slate; ESPN expands its schedule on the ESPN App" (preseason Aug. 13-29), July 8, 2026 — https://espnpressroom.com/us/press-releases/2026/07/nfl-network-presents-2026-nfl-preseason-slate-featuring-19-live-games-espn-expands-its-schedule-with-12-additional-matchups-on-the-espn-app/
8. Sports Media Watch — "Versant acquires Bundesliga in latest sign of change in media rights market" (Bundesliga moves to USA Sports/USA Network and Fandango from ESPN, beginning Aug. 22), July 14, 2026 — https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2026/07/versant-bundesliga-rights-deal/