ESPN+ LogosIPTV/Wikimedia Commons Here's a fun fact for you: Disney+ was not Disney's first streaming service. That distinction actually goes to ESPN+, which launched in 2018, a year before Disney+. If you're not a sports enthusiast, you probably don't watch ESPN, or "Entertainment and Sports Programming Network." Disney got an ownership stake in the ESPN television network when it purchased Capital Cities Communications. At the time of the 1995 merger, Disney acquired an 80% stake in ESPN.