ESPN, FOX, & Warner Brothers/Discovery to lauch a new sports streaming platform

[DENDude 184]

CNBC is reporting this evening that ESPN, FOX & Warner Brothers/Discovery are going to launch a yet to be named streaming service for sports, don't know much more than that yet.  (Notably absent from this are Comcast's NBC Universal  &  Capital Amusements CBS).

 

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/02/06/espn-fox-and-warner-bros-discovery-to-launch-joint-sports-streaming-platform-this-year.html

 

 

[MorningNews 1290]

It was always trending this way. Although no NBC or CBS is going to be a lot of football missed. 

[T.L. Hughes 746]

5 hours ago, DENDude said:

CNBC is reporting this evening that ESPN, FOX & Warner Brothers/Discovery are going to launch a yet to be named streaming service for sports, don't know much more than that yet.  (Notably absent from this are Comcast's NBC Universal  &  Capital Amusements CBS).

 

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/02/06/espn-fox-and-warner-bros-discovery-to-launch-joint-sports-streaming-platform-this-year.html

 

 

From what I took of it, the service in concept seems like a hybrid of Fubo (with far fewer entertainment-based networks with little or no sports content, seemingly what it would have been if entertainment networks weren't bundled into its carriage contracts) and DAZN. On top of it, they apparently plan to incorporate ESPN+ content onto the service.

 

That said, even though ABC and Fox are among the networks whose sports content is being offered, I'm not sure if it's planning to run their full linear feeds or just the sports events they air (a la Max's Bleacher Report add-on, which is basically one to four part-time feeds only active when simulcasts of sports events from TBS, TNT and truTV and original daily sports talk shows air).

 

There's also the matter of whether this replaces ESPN's original plan to offer an expanded standalone streaming service (mixing programming from the ESPN linear networks and ESPN+), and if ESPN/Disney partnering with Fox Corporation and Warner Bros. Discovery (which was done very much on the DL since there were no scoops on this partnership before the announcement) was its way forward to getting a service along those lines off the ground.

Also, it's National Amusements, not Capital Amusements.

Edited February 7 by T.L. Hughes

[CircleSeven 1944]

2 hours ago, T.L. Hughes said:

There's also the matter of whether this replaces ESPN's original plan to offer an expanded standalone streaming service (mixing programming from the ESPN linear networks and ESPN+), and if ESPN/Disney partnering with Fox Corporation and Warner Bros. Discovery (which was done very much on the DL since there were no scoops on this partnership before the announcement) was its way forward to getting a service along those lines off the ground.

 

From that same article, it seems that the Worldwide Leader is going to follow through with those plans...... 

Quote

The launch of the product will not stop ESPN from offering a full direct-to-consumer streaming product, which Disney is still researching and remains on schedule to debut by 2025, according to a person familiar with the matter. ESPN has previously said it plans on releasing that product this year or next year.

 

Edited February 7 by CircleSeven

[nickp 294]

This is interesting to note considering FOX is the only one of the three without a standalone streaming service

[T.L. Hughes 746]

5 hours ago, nickp said:

This is interesting to note considering FOX is the only one of the three without a standalone streaming service

Of course, had Rupert Murdoch not sold 20th Century Fox and the FX Networks, National Geographic Channels and Fox International Channels properties to Disney (along with the Fox Sports Regional Networks that became Bally Sports under Sinclair), they likely would have had a robust SVOD platform instead of relying on Hulu and the in-house AVOD service Tubi (which Fox Corporation bought in 2021 to have some mainstream streaming presence).

 

I honestly think it was a mistake on the Murdoch's part to not keep those properties, because it robbed them of creating a strong streaming competitor, because it turned the successor Fox Corporation into a runt while giving Disney bigger market share in TV and film production and distribution as well as linear distribution, and because all that sale did was make Fox Corporation defined in the public by Fox News instead of the more reputable and less controversial properties it used to own and still owns.

Edited February 7 by T.L. Hughes

[Action Newsroom 1149]

 

Meanwhile, Disney announced a standalone ESPN DTC streaming service that will launch next fall (or as soon as next August). It'll air feeds of ESPN networks and programming, and interactive features like stats and score. Yes, it's different from ESPN+.

 

https://deadline.com/2024/02/disney-espn-streaming-launch-date-bob-iger-1235818372/

[MidwestTV 1173]

Have heard a few people call this the official death of local TV

[ABC 7 Denver 1552]

1 hour ago, MidwestTV said:

Have heard a few people call this the official death of local TV

 

Death of cable maybe. Don't know how this will kill off broadcasting though.

[CircleSeven 1944]

Fubo has filed an antitrust lawsuit to stop this joint venture project from happening.

 

Edited February 21 by CircleSeven

[Yankees4life 529]

On 2/20/2024 at 7:50 PM, CircleSeven said:

Fubo has filed an antitrust lawsuit to stop this joint venture project from happening.

 

They have no case. They're just slowing down the inevitable

[T.L. Hughes 746]

Former Apple and Hulu executive Pete Distad has been hired as CEO of the new streaming service.