It’s deja vu, all over again. But, this time for a streaming sports channel. In 2008, Disney, FOX, Warner Media, and NBCUniversal joined forces to create streaming channel Hulu. In 2009, Disney became Hulu’s majority owner, and now the company is looking to buy NBCUniversal’s shares as well.
Disney’s ESPN, FOX Sports, and Warner Bros. Discovery have now teamed up to launch a new streaming sports channel. It is expected that this new sports streaming service will not be sitting well with cable operators that carry existing sports channels.
The new platform will bring together the companies’ portfolios of sports networks, certain direct-to-consumer sports services and sports rights, including content from all the major professional sports leagues and college sports.
The channel, scheduled to launch in the fall of 2024, would be made available directly to consumers via a new app. Subscribers would also have the ability to bundle the product, including with Disney+, Hulu and/or Max, and would have access to the linear sports networks.
The service will have a new brand with an independent management team.
Bob Iger, chief executive officer of The Walt Disney Company, said, “The launch of this new streaming sports service is a significant moment for Disney and ESPN, a major win for sports fans, and an important step forward for the media business. This means the full suite of ESPN channels will be available to consumers alongside the sports programming of other industry leaders as part of a differentiated sports-centric service. I’m grateful to Jimmy Pitaro and the team at ESPN, who are at the forefront of innovating on behalf of consumers to create new offerings with more choice and greater value.”
Lachlan Murdoch, executive chair and chief executive officer of FOX, said, “We’re pumped to bring the FOX Sports portfolio to this new and exciting platform. We believe the service will provide passionate fans outside of the traditional bundle an array of amazing sports content all in one place.”
David Zaslav, chief executive officer of Warner Bros. Discovery, said “At WBD, our ambition is always to connect our leading content and brands with as many viewers as possible, and this exciting joint venture and the unparalleled combination of marquee sports rights and access to the greatest sporting events in the world allows us to do just that. This new sports service exemplifies our ability as an industry to drive innovation and provide consumers with more choice, enjoyment and value and we’re thrilled to deliver it to sports fans.”
Leave A Comment