ESPN, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery have announced plans to launch a joint sports streaming service later this year, providing consumers with a new way to access live sports. The platform, which will be owned by a newly formed company with its own leadership team, does not yet have a name or price. Disney, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery will each own a one-third stake in the venture.
Consumers will have the option to subscribe directly via a new app and can also bundle the product with the companies’ streaming platforms Disney+, Hulu, and Max. The service is designed to be a skinnier bundle of linear networks than a standard cable offering, specifically tailored for sports fans. It will include all the broadcast and cable networks owned by Disney, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery that carry sports, along with ESPN+.
From Disney, the offering will include ESPN and its sister networks, such as ESPN2, ESPNU, SECN, ACCN, ESPNEWS, and the ABC broadcast network. Warner Bros. Discovery’s networks that showcase sports are TNT, TBS, and TruTV. Fox will include the Fox broadcast station along with FS1, FS2, and BTN.
Disney’s CEO Bob Iger expressed enthusiasm about the launch, stating, ‘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.’
It’s worth noting that the launch of this new service will not hinder ESPN’s plans to offer a full direct-to-consumer streaming product, which Disney is still researching. ESPN has previously indicated its intention to release that product either this year or next year.
The move comes at a time when the value of sports media rights is on the rise, but viewers have shifted away from traditional cable. Disney, in particular, has felt the impact of this shift, and the joint venture with Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery appears to be a strategic response to the changing landscape of media consumption.
