When Discovery acquired Warner Bros. in April 2022, the new owner shut down its all-news streaming CNN+. Now, 16 months later, Warner Bros. Discovery is looking at news and sports as “important differentiators,” in the words of WB’s CEO David Zaslav, who added, “they make these platforms come alive.”
Similarly, the Disney’s all-sports network ESPN is looking at ways of bringing sports into a streaming platform without affecting the fees it collects from pay-TV distributors. The “Rubicon” will be crossed once its reach in the cable-TV universe falls below 50 million TVHH.
ESPN’s streaming future could include carrying local games of professional sports teams, and any live game. In order for ESPN+ to enter the sports arena in a big way, Disney is looking for a “strategy partner,” in the words of Disney’s CEO Bob Iger, who added that he’s open to selling an equity stake into the venture.
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