Online real estate giant Zillow has settled a major government lawsuit, while sports giant ESPN is raising its streaming prices.
The US Federal Trade Commission, which is a government group that protects shoppers, sued Zillow in 2025. Several states, including New York and Washington, also joined the legal fight. Government officials accused Zillow of paying its rival Redfin $100 million to stop listing rental apartments for up to 9 years. Under the new agreement, Redfin must launch its apartment search tool again with many more properties. This extra competition should help lower search costs for people looking to rent a home. Zillow must also let its business clients change their contracts for free and share employee info so Redfin can hire new staff.
At the same time, sports fans will soon have to pay more to watch live games. Starting on September 17, ESPN is raising its streaming rates. The basic option with ads will rise from $12.99 to $13.99 a month. If you prefer to pay for a whole year, that basic plan will go from $129.99 to $139.99. The larger Unlimited plan will rise to $319.99 a year. Many popular TV bundles that package the sports app with Disney Plus and Hulu will also go up in price by $2 or $3 each month. This is the first price hike since the standalone sports channel launched last August with features like multi-screen viewing, which lets you watch more than 1 game at the same time on your TV.
Why does this matter to you? If you are looking for a new flat or apartment, you will soon have more online choices to help you find a deal. But if you want to stream live sports, you may need to adjust your monthly budget. Keeping a close eye on your digital subscriptions can help you save cash on both housing and home entertainment.
