Overview

• ESPN said the Texans–Seahawks game on Oct. 20 will air at 10 p.m. ET on the flagship network, following Buccaneers–Lions at 7 p.m. in a Monday Night Football doubleheader.
• The matchup, initially slated as an ESPN+ exclusive, will also stream on ESPN’s new app, reflecting the shift from ESPN+ to the forthcoming higher-tier product.
• ESPN confirmed ESPN+ will be rebranded as the Select plan, while the Unlimited tier on the new app launches Thursday with broader rights coverage.
• The new app will carry out-of-market streams of five NFL preseason games Saturday — Ravens–Commanders, Colts–Bengals, Texans–Lions, Bills–Buccaneers and Chargers–49ers — subject to local blackouts.
• The change advances a term of ESPN’s pending NFL Media deal and follows poor viewership for last season’s ESPN+ exclusive, which drew about 1.8 million compared with roughly 16 million for a concurrent linear game.