ESPN, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery announced plans Tuesday to launch a sports streaming platform this fall that will include offerings from at least 15 networks and all four major professional sports leagues.
A single app to view most sports should be a welcome sight for fans, who continue to face rising costs by subscribing to multiple services.
Kevin Krim, president and CEO of advertising measurement firm EDO, compared the three companies teaming up for sports as some networks did when Hulu started in 2008.
“My sense is that knowing the cast of characters, they look at the original Hulu concept and think, ‘Well, that worked really well for us.’ So let’s do it again. But for live sports streaming,” she said.
The three companies will each share one-third ownership of the joint venture. The service name and pricing will be announced at a later date.
“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,” said David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery.
The platform will include games from the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, WNBA, NASCAR and college sports, including the men’s and women’s NCAA tournaments, as well as golf, tennis and the FIFA World Cup.
It will include offerings from 15 linear networks – ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SEC Network, ACC Network, ESPNEWS, ABC, FOX, FS1, FS2, Big Ten Network, TNT, TBS, truTV – and ESPN+.
Subscribers will also have the option to bundle the product with Disney+, Hulu and/or Max.
“We believe the service will provide passionate fans, outside of the traditional package, an array of great sports content in one place,” Fox CEO and Executive Chairman Lachlan Murdoch said in a statement.
The package announcement also comes as ESPN and Warner Bros. Discovery are preparing to enter negotiations to renew their NBA rights, which expire at the end of next season.
“For me, the thing that’s triggering all of this is the NBA. We see time and time again that the NBA is the second best TV franchise behind the NFL,” Krim said. “You’re staring at that renegotiation and new deals coming that could include Google, Amazon, Netflix, Apple and others. It’s a good way to work as a team and stay competitive.”
ESPN is also looking for strategic partners as it prepares to launch a direct-to-consumer product in the next year or two.
“The launch of this new streaming sports service is a significant moment for Disney and ESPN, a big win for sports fans and a major step forward for the media business,” said Bob Iger, CEO of the Walt Disney Company. “This means the full suite of ESPN channels will be available to consumers alongside sports programming from other industry leaders as part of a differentiated, sports-focused service.”