ESPN+ brought Disney's streaming business to profitability in its latest quarter.

However, challenges like competition from social media and fragmentation remain.

Executive John Lasker shared how he's making ESPN into a streaming powerhouse.

ESPN+ has quietly become a big asset for Disney in the streaming wars and a lifeline in the increasingly challenging sports space.

ESPN's streaming service made Disney's direct-to-consumer business profitable for the first time ever in its latest quarter. Its $66 million of earnings offset a $19 million loss for Disney+ and Hulu, after the inverse was true before. ESPN+'s average monthly revenue per subscriber rose from $5.45 to $6.23 in Q3 due to higher prices and advertising revenue, Disney said in its 10-Q.

In a cutthroat streaming landscape, ESPN+ has attracted about 25 million subscribers by offering exclusive college and professional sports along with some, but not all, of the main network's content. For everything the self-proclaimed Worldwide Leader in Sports has, including shows like "First Take" and "SportsCenter," sports fans still need a pay-TV service — for now.

Next fall, Disney plans to launch what it's currently calling "ESPN Flagship," which will include all of ESPN's content, including ESPN+.

That leaves no time to rest for John Lasker, the senior vice president of ESPN+ who's overseen its growth strategy since its launch in 2018. Lasker joined ESPN's sales team 25 years ago and pivoted in 2006 to digital media, where he led ESPN's early streaming efforts, like WatchESPN.