Disney, Fox and Warner announce partnership for new sports streaming

In a landmark deal, Disney, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery will combine into one company that will combine sports streaming rights in the United States. The new, as-yet-untitled platform will offer live linear channels such as ESPN, ABC, Fox, TNT and TBS, as well as games and other sports rights from the three media giants on a non-exclusive basis.

Operation of the agreement

The information was revealed exclusively by The Hollywood Reporter. The service will be available directly to consumers, but will also be offered alongside WBD’s Max, Disney’s ESPN+ and Hulu. Pricing hasn’t been determined yet, but the new stream is expected to launch in the American fall (Brazilian spring), in time for the NFL season.

The three companies will own a third of the new venture, which will have its own brand and independent management team. Although a principle of agreement already exists, the initiative is subject to the reaching of a definitive agreement by the companies.

Importantly, NBCUniversal and Paramount are not part of the new venture. NBC has NFL rights, college rights and Olympic Games rights, while Paramount’s CBS Sports has Sunday afternoon NFL games, live football and other college rights.

A source told THR that the new venture, while a big step forward, isn’t expected to impact ESPN’s plans to offer a direct-to-consumer “core” streaming service, but is intended to complement it. In some ways, nova streaming resembles a “basic package” of streaming networks, focused exclusively on channels with live sports, rather than entertainment.

There is no information regarding a possible launch of the new streaming outside of the United States.

Consequences of the new streaming

Positioning of companies

The launch of this new sports streaming service represents a significant moment for Disney and ESPN, a huge win for sports fans and a major step forward for the media business. This means the full lineup of ESPN channels will be available to consumers alongside sports programming from other industry leaders as part of a differentiated, sports-focused service. I am grateful to Jimmy Pitaro and the team at ESPN, who are at the forefront of innovation on behalf of consumers to create new offerings with more choice and greater value.

Disney CEO Bob Iger in a statement

We are thrilled to bring the Fox Sports portfolio to this exciting new platform. We believe the service will provide passionate fans, outside of the traditional package, with an incredible variety of sports content in one place.

Lachlan Murdoch, CEO of Fox, in a statement

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 unrivaled combination of sports rights and access to the world’s biggest sporting events allows us to do just that. This new sports service exemplifies our ability as an industry to drive innovation and offer consumers more choice, entertainment and value, and we are excited to bring it to sports fans.

David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, in a statement

The post Disney, Fox and Warner announce partnership for new sports streaming appeared first on Olhar Digital.

Source: Olhar Digital

Rose

Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.