ESPN, FOX, and Warner Bros. Discovery To Launch New Streaming Sports Service in the U.S.

ESPN (a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company), FOX, and Warner Bros. Discovery have decided on a joint venture to create a new streaming sports app and combine each of their sport network portfolios.

Each of the three will own 1/3rd of this venture, licensing their content on a non-exclusive basis, and the app itself will have a new brand with its own independent management team.

The app is scheduled to launch in the Fall of 2024, and will include access to sports networks such as ESPN, ESPN+, SECN, ACCN, ESPNEWS, ABC, FOX, FS1, FS2, BTN, TNT, and TBS, among others. Subscribers will also be able to bundle this new platform with Disney+, Hulu, and/or Max. Pricing will be announced at a later date.

Each executive from the three companies have expressed their confidence about this new streaming service:

Bob Iger, CEO of The Walt Disney Company, said, “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.”

Lachlan Murdoch, Executive Chair and CEO of FOX, said, “We’re pumped to bring the FOX Sports portfolio to this new and exciting platform. We believe the service will provide passionate fans outside of the traditional bundle an array of amazing sports content all in one place.” 

David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, said, “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 the unparalleled combination of marquee sports rights and access to the greatest sporting events in the world allows us to do just that. This new sports service exemplifies our ability as an industry to drive innovation and provide consumers with more choice, enjoyment and value and we’re thrilled to deliver it to sports fans.”

This new service will include content from both major professional sports leagues and college sports, such as:

Auto

• Formula 1
• NASCAR
• 24 Hours of Le Mans

Baseball

• MLB

Basketball

• NBA
• WNBA

College Sports

• Thousands of games and events, multiple sports, across nearly two dozen conferences, including: ACC, Big 10, Big 12, Big East, SEC
• 40 NCAA Championship Events
• NCAA Men’s & Women’s Basketball Tournaments
• The College Football Playoff

Combat Sports

• UFC
• Top Rank

Cycling

• Giro d’Italia
• UCI Mountain Bike World Cup
• Giro Donne

Football

• NFL
• UFL
  

Golf

• PGA Tour
• PGA Championship
• The Masters
• TGL

Grand Slam Tennis

• Wimbledon
• US Open
• Australian Open

Hockey

• NHL

Soccer

• FIFA World Cup
• U.S. Soccer NWSL
• MLS
• LALIGA
• Bundesliga
• UEFA
• CONCACAF

Source: Warner Bros. Discovery