Forum Discussion

JRP86's avatar
JRP86
Channel Surfer
2 years ago
Solved

Disney plus Bundle - ESPN+ not working

I upgraded to Disney’s bundle (Disney+ with Hulu, and ESPN+.  The new bundle works perfectly on all of my non-Roku devices and smart TVs, but not on my Roku TV or even the Roku IOS app.  I can access Disney+ with Hulu without a problem, but ESPN+ is supported separately and I can not get it working on Roku.  The normal ESPN channel “partially” works, but the ESPN+ content requires me to “activate” my account.  I try to do this and it requires a cable provider (not required on any of my other devices).  I go to ESPN.com/activate and choose Spectrum, because I have a basic spectrum account for cable (but Spectrum has nothing to do with my bundle purchase from Disney).  The screen on my iPhone says “Success” after I enter in the code from the Roku screen.  Then I get a message that says, “Media not allowed.  Access to this program is not included in your Spectrum TV subscription.”  In a way, no surprise since I didn’t get the bundle thru Spectrum.  

There is apparently no way to avoid the process of linking to a cable provider on Roku.  It seems like Roku just doesn’t support Disney with ESPN+, since I have no trouble setting up ESPN+ on my Samsung smart TV or my Sony smart TV (or my iPad/iPhone).  

Is anyone else having this problem on Roku?  Is there a workaround solution?  If no workaround, is anyone aware when Roku will be adding full support for this bundle?  Roku support was useless.  Disney/ESPN wasn’t much help either, but in their defense, their service works everywhere else and this does appear to be limited to Roku (I had the same issue on Roku.com with the channel, so not specific to my Roku TV). 

Thanks in advance…

 

app playback
  • HDMIGuy's avatar
    HDMIGuy
    10 months ago

    LGSteve To activate ESPN Plus open the ESPN app on your Roku device.  Go to settings.   Do not select choose TV provider.  Scroll down to my disney account.  Enter your email and password used for your Disney account and you should be logged into ESPN Plus.

63 Replies

  • makaiguy's avatar
    makaiguy
    Community Streaming Expert
    2 years ago

    Content from both ESPN and ESPN+ is accessed via the ESPN channel app.

    ESPN content requires a subscription to a "tv provider" account on a system that carries ESPN, typically cable or satellite. This is how you prove you are paying for ESPN. You must sign in with your tv provider credentials to authenticate this subscription. You may occasionally need to reauthenticate to prove your subscription is still active.

    ESPN+ content is marked with an ESPN+ ribbon on a corner of the program selection tile and requires a separate paid ESPN+ subscription (stand alone or part of a Disney bundle). To view this content you must have logged into your ESPN+ account using your ESPN+ or Disney credentials. You can then view ESPN+ content even if you have no ESPN tv provider account.

    • JRP86's avatar
      JRP86
      Channel Surfer
      2 years ago

      Thanks for the response and information.  My problem is that I don’t seem to be able to authenticate my ESPN+ account on my Roku TV.  It works flawlessly on my other non-Roku devices.  For example, I have a Sony Bravia smart TV and I have “installed” the ESPN+ app on it (simple process of selecting it from the App Store).  I can then sign in and I get access to all my the ESPN+ content.

      On my Roku, there apparently is no ESPN+ app, so I tried to use the ESPN app (which does mention support for ESPN+ in the description in the channel store).  Once installed, I can open ESPN, but when I attempt to view a game (in my case an NCAA baseball game), the app says I need to authenticate.  I follow the steps and I am forced to select a cable company (a step not required on my other devices).  At this point, I selected Spectrum, since I actually do have a basic Spectrum cable account.  I get a nice message from ESPN on my iPhone (authentication device used) that says, that says “ESPN Activation - Success.” Then, on my Roku TV, it says “Media Not Allow…” and something about not being included in my Spectrum account.  Roku support was useless, Disney/ESPN wasn’t much better (but, in fairness to Disney, their system works on every other device I have (2 smart TVs, and my iPad and iPhone).  

      Any suggestions? 

      • RokuJohnB's avatar
        RokuJohnB
        Community Moderator
        2 years ago

        Hi JRP86,

        Thank you for posting here in the Roku Community!

        We understand you're having a problem with the ESPN+ channel. We're happy to assist you further. Please try to update the channel by highlighting the channel tile, pressing the star button on your Roku remote, and selecting check for updates.

        Let us know how it works.

        Best regards,                                                                                                                                      John

  • jdls's avatar
    jdls
    Reel Rookie
    10 months ago

     have the same problem. The issue is that Disney+ does not come as a 'TV Provider' when trying to sign up. If you think about it, the content provider is Disney + (I used to do this through Fubo with no issue). 

    Hulu is listed as a TV provider, but I don't get my content through Hulu, rather Disney+. I can't believe how much of an ordeal this is ...

    JRP86 Have you sorted it out yet? If so, shed some light please!

    • RokuCarly's avatar
      RokuCarly
      Community Moderator
      10 months ago

      Hi, Community users!

      Thanks for letting us know about this. 

      Please be informed that most apps on the Roku streaming platform come from streaming channels provided and maintained independently by the channel providers themselves. 

      Additionally, Roku doesn't manage channel logins or authentication on independent apps, especially if the subscription is purchased directly from the channel provider. 

      It may also be possible that they offer different subscriptions on the Roku streaming platform. Thus, the channel login authentication issue. 

      In this case, it is highly recommended to directly raise this concern to the channel provider's Support team for further clarification. You may visit the links provided below to help you reach them:

      We hope you find this information helpful.

      Best regards,
      Carly

      • LGSteve's avatar
        LGSteve
        Reel Rookie
        10 months ago

        I've just spent 2 hours trying to figure this out....everything works with ESPN+ on my PC but it's kind of jittery.  My brand new Roku Stick does not work with ESPN+ verification method.  I have no "provider" (it used to be DirecTV but they are in a contract dispute now with ESPN).  I can't believe this problem has not been fixed in 4 months!!!