For the second time in the span of less than a year, the price of ESPN+ is increasing. Starting on August 13th, an annual subscription will cost $69.99 per year, up from $59.99 previously. At the same time, the price of a monthly plan is going up as well. Come August 13th, ESPN+ will cost $6.99 per month, up from $5.99 as of last year. Opting for an annual subscription instead of a monthly one will save you about $13 over the span of a year. A Disney spokesperson told Engadget the company will start informing existing customers of the price increase as early as later today.

Since April 2019, Disney has allowed UFC fans to watch pay-per-view events through ESPN+. The price of that programming is not going up at the moment. The company is also not increasing the price of the Disney Bundle, which includes ESPN+, as well as Disney+ and Hulu. That package will continue to cost $13.99 per month, following a recent increase in March.

EA isn't just giving Madden NFL players an upgrade if they play on next-gen consoles. The published has unveiledFIFA 22, and its centerpiece is a new "HyperMotion" system that reportedly provides more realistic animation and gameplay when you game on a PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S or Google Stadia. The technology uses machine learning to produce animations in real time, leading to more "organic" movement. HyperMotion also let EA capture motion for pro soccer (aka football) players competing at full tilt, including superstars like Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappé.

The game is also coming to PS4, Xbox One, and PC (via Origin and Steam). A FIFA 22 Legacy Edition is coming to the Nintendo Switch, although EA didn't outline differences.

Thankfully, there are other substantial changes regardless of what platform you use. EA has hinted at a "complete" revamp of the goalkeeper system, a new club creation experience in Career Mode, "reimagined" Volta Football and a FIFA Ultimate Team Heroes item set that represents the tales of legendary players.

FIFA 22 will be released on October 1st for all supported platforms.

As with Madden, it's apparent EA isn't completely ready to drop support for previous-gen consoles. That's not surprising given both the larger player base and shortages that limit the number of PS5 and Xbox Series owners. However, it is clear that the gaming giant wants to offer a strong incentive to play on newer machines. Don't be surprised if FIFA 23 cuts off PS4 and Xbox One players.

The Witcher will return to Netflix almost exactly two years after the fantasy series debuted. You can stream all eight episodes of the show's second season starting on December 17th. Season one premiered on December 20th, 2019.

Season two of The Witcher will pick up where the first batch of episodes left off. Following some COVID-related delays, filming for season two wrapped in April. The release date was revealed during WitcherCon. Netflix teamed up with CD Projekt Red for an event that celebrates both the show and CDPR's games.

Netflix also revealed the titles for the season two episodes. However, the finale's title remains top secret for now. There's no sign of a proper trailer just yet, but WitcherCon (which is still running at the time of writing) will close out with an interview with star Henry Cavill and the tease of a surprise or two.

Amazon is reportedly turning back to the UK's Premier League for the focus of its next All or Nothing sports documentary. Deadline has learned the new series will cover Arsenal as it plays the League's 2021-2022 season. The documentary deal hasn't been finalized, according to the site's sources, but Amazon, Arsenal and production company 72 Films all confirmed the plans.

The Gunners' documentary will debut on Prime sometime after the season in 2022.

 Whether or not it's an exciting series is unclear. Arsenal is a legendary team, but its current roster hasn't produced top-tier results. It finished the 2020-2021 season in eighth place and bowed out of the UEFA Europa League (below the Champions League) in the semis. It does have a rising star in the form of midfielder Bukayo Saka, though, and Deadline pointed out that the team finished the Premier League season on a strong note. Arsenal might make for a good comeback story, then.

Amazon has diversified the scope of All or Nothing over the years to include three soccer teams, New Zealand's All Blacks rugby squad, a range of American football teams and soon a veteran hockey team (the Toronto Maple Leafs). The strategy, however, has remained the same — Amazon is determined to be a go-to source for sports shows and give you a reason to subscribe to Prime Video instead of (or alongside) rivals like Netflix.

Twitter has once again renewed its deal with the NFL, and this time there's more than just video shows and Moments to keep football fans happy. The newly announced multi-year extension includes a commitment to produce over 20 live Spaces audio chats for the 2021 season. You'll hear players and "other NFL talent" discuss regular season matches as well as major events like the draft and Super Bowl.

The new agreement also includes new highlights and more polls. You can also expect familiar experiences that include on-the-field coverage and Moments.

This could be welcome news if you want to follow football on Twitter in between games, not just during or after matches.

It may be particularly important for Twitter, too. This is the social network's first sports league of any kind to produce sponsored Spaces — the feature just got significant boosts to both its credibility and revenue. It also helps Twitter compete against Clubhouse, which unveiled its NFL deal in April. Don't be surprised if Twitter rushes to land Spaces deals with other leagues, especially if Clubhouse becomes more of a threat.

Sixteen months after the last event with a live crowd, the Call of Duty League (CDL) is once again opening its doors to fans. The Stage V Major tournament takes place at the end of the month, and it will host the league's first live matches with fans since March 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down everything.

All 12 CDL teams are expected to take part in the tournament, which runs from July 29th to August 1st. It takes place at Esports Stadium Arlington in Texas, home of the 2020 season champs Dallas Empire. Fans will be able to attend during the final two days, with a weekend pass costing $59. The league returned to in-person events without fans last month.

The CDL and the Overwatch League (OWL), both of which are run by Activision Blizzard, planned to hold matches in each team's home city in 2020. That format didn't last long before the leagues were forced to shift to online-only play for the season. That was a significant blow for both, but perhaps more so the CDL, which had only just started its first season. Esports are far more enjoyable with a crowd, and the future's looking rosier for live events.

OWL, meanwhile, is running a few events with fans in China this season. Envy Gaming, which owns Dallas Empire and OWL's Dallas Fuel, held an event at Esports Stadium Arlington last month with the Fuel playing on stage and Overwatch League fans in attendance.

If you've ever wanted to see a pro baseball player's at-bat through their eyes, you're about to get your chance. T-Mobile is marketing its 5G network by equipping players at the 2021 Home Run Derby with 5G point-of-view cameras on their helmets, including the catchers' masks. Watch the live competition through a special T-Mobile website and you can witness both batting practice and the derby itself as if you were on the field, with 5G (hopefully) keeping everything in sync.

The event kicks off July 12th, starting with practice at 6:30PM Eastern and the derby itself at 8PM. The POV cameras are also coming alongside a new MLB AR mobile app to explore Coors Field in 3D and get detailed stats for each swing. People with 5G phones will also get extra stats like hang time and exit velocity, although this is clearly just an incentive to upgrade your device. You don't need 5G to get a few extra numbers.

The footage is 'only' in HD, and it's not clear just how many players will have 5G cameras (we've asked T-Mobile for details). If all goes well, though, you'll see what it's like for stars like Shohei Ohtani when they knock one out of the park. Look at it this way — even if the cameras are limited, this is one of the few 5G tie-ins that's more than just a gimmick.

It's not just eSports players' promotional deals coming under scrutiny. Dot Esports has learned that the Department of Justice has launched an antitrust inquiry into Overwatch League soft salary caps meant to prevent teams from buying their way to victory. The investigation isn't criminal, according to DE's sources, but DOJ trial attorney Kathleen Simpson Kiernan is reportedly wondering about the lack of a players' union that would let the league claim the same labor exemptions you find in conventional unionized sports leagues.

The cap, which has never been publicly revealed, reportedly centers on a "competitive balance tax" that effectively forces teams to pay twice if they pass the salary cap — once for the players, and again for the league to redistribute funds among other teams. That cap was rumored to be $1.6 million in 2020, but DE understood that no teams had "naturally" broken that cap based on typical pro player rates.

Activision Blizzard didn't elaborate on the investigation, but confirmed the basic inquiry and said it was "cooperating accordingly."

This investigation won't necessarily lead to a major shakeup of the Overwatch competitive scene. It does, however, indicate the growing stature of eSports in the US. Competitive gaming is now important enough that player pay is a significant issue for officials, even there aren't any major signs of trouble.

FaZe Clan is once again reeling from drama, and this time the damage might be longer-lasting. Decryptnotes that FaZe has punished four players for alleged involvement in a pump-and-dump scheme involving the Save the Kids cryptocurrency project. The eSports team suspended Jarvis (pictured), Nikan and Teeqo, and has permanently removed Kay from the organization.

Save the Kids (aka KIDS) was pitched as a charity that would donate 1 percent of each transaction fee (which itself is 3 percent of the total transaction) to a child-oriented foundation. The creators got influencers at FaZe to promote KIDS ahead of its launch in early June, only to watch as the price crashed by almost 90 percent.

The affected clan members have denied any deliberate involvement. Kay said he had "no ill intent" in promoting KIDS, and that he made a mistake in participating without vetting the effort with the team.

This isn't even the first time FaZe team members have faced accusations of joining in scams. Kay and clan co-founder were paid to promote another coin, BankSocial, in May — only to sell shortly before exiting the partnership. Banks didn't reveal the financial connection in Twitter posts he has since deleted.

The crackdown highlights the growing number of eSports players making money outside of competitive gaming, both individually and as a team. Gucci made a Fnatic-badged dive watch, for instance. While it's not surprising given how players are quickly gaining the kind of celebrity status commonly associated with conventional sports stars, that opens them to similar temptations.

Soccer fans around the world will be able to watch the UEFA Women's Champions League for free over the next two seasons. YouTube will stream every game from the competition in 2021-23. It struck a deal with UEFA and sports streaming service DAZN, which snapped up the broadcast rights to the UWCL for the next four years.

With the exception of the Middle East, North Africa, China and its territories, all 61 games (not including qualifying rounds) will stream live and on demand on DAZN's YouTube channel during the upcoming two seasons. For the next two seasons (2023-24 and 2024-25), DAZN will stream every game live. You'll still be able to catch 19 matches per season on YouTube. DAZN is now available in more than 200 countries.

The broadcasting deal will get into gear amid a new format for the UWCL. UEFA is introducing a 16-game group stage this season, similar to the format of the men's Champions League. Previously, it was a two-legged knockout competition with a one-off final. The group stage for the 2021-22 edition starts on October 5th.

This is a chance for soccer enthusiasts in most parts of the world to catch some of the best players on the planet in action without having to pay an extra penny (as long as they have a decent internet connection and device on which to watch YouTube). The deal should give the UWCL more exposure than in the past, and it could perhaps inspire more kids to take up the sport.

Streaming services have been duking it out over soccer rights for years. This is a significant deal for DAZN, as well as whatever sports ambitions YouTube has. CBS and Paramount+ hold English-language broadcast rights to the men's version of the competition in the US. Univision's TUDN airs games in Spanish.