Ok, let’s clarify a few things.
For as long as cable/cable type streamers existed the contract with carriage rights prevented Disney for putting any of the same properties on cable on any Disney streaming apps. Many years ago(6+) as Disney rolled out their own app Disney got cable types to agree Disney to put those broadcasts think Over the cable ESPN on the ESPN app but only if you authenticated to the cable property with your cable logon.
Then a few years ago as Disney got into these protracted disputes we have seen during football season for years Disney began forcing them to allow all of Disneys channels to be bought as an Unlimited package. Disney basically held all carriage right until the cable company agreed(this is why Spectrum held out so long). After that Disney could put everything in their app.
So if you look at Disneys apps from previous to 2025, it worked like this:
ESPN APP: watch anything that is on your cable subscription from anywhere in US by putting in you cable logon but this did not include the over air ABC broadcasts networks because Disney did not own rights to all of those local signals.
ESPN+: Seperate subscription that allowed you everything not on over the air ABC or on the ESPN app just the extra streaming stuff…PLUS
Now in 2025
Disney has changed all their carriage rights Including those over the air ABC broadcast networks to allow Disney to sell the ESPN Unlimited which has all sports and includes ABC broadcast content.
So if you just have ESPN+ you are still locked into those contracts which says just extra.
If you have just cable provided ESPN, you can get to just what is on your cable provider
If you have Unlimited, eat all you want and yes Unlimited is about taking everyone out of picture and all money/margin straight to Mickey’s(Iger’s) pocket.
Yes Disney has been executing this plan for most of the decade and they have just gotten to where they can cut everyone out.