Posted on 02/06/2024 3:02:16 PM PST by JSM_Liberty
Walt Disney’s ESPN, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery plan to launch a joint sports streaming service this fall, giving consumers a new way to access marquee live sports for the first time, the companies said Tuesday. The platform, which will be owned by a newly formed company with its own leadership team, does not yet have a name or a price. Disney, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery will each own a one-third stake. Consumers would be able to subscribe directly via a new app. Subscribers would also have the ability to bundle the product with the companies’ streaming platforms Disney+, Hulu and Max.
The product will be a skinnier bundle of linear networks than a standard cable offering, specifically tailored for sports fans. It will consist of all the broadcast and cable networks owned by Disney, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery that carry sports, along with ESPN+. From Disney, that includes ESPN and its sister networks, such as ESPN2, ESPNU, SECN, ACCN, ESPNEWS, as well as 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. “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,” Disney CEO Bob Iger said in a statement. “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.”
The launch of the product will not stop ESPN from offering a full direct-to-consumer streaming product, which Disney is still researching, according to a person familiar with the matter. ESPN has previously said it plans on releasing that product this year or next year. The competitors expect to form the joint service at a time when the value of sports media rights is spiking, but viewers have moved away from watching on traditional cable. Disney, in particular, has suffered from a shift away from its ESPN network, and has sought new ways to revive the business, including searching for strategic partners such as the National Football League and the National Basketball League.
Sports is dying. It’s simply unwatchable
Oh good - something else to never watch.
I blame ESPN for that. No matter what sport, it seems that the players goal in each game is to make the daily highlight reel.
The era when sports were broadcast for only the charge of watching commercials is coming to an end. Soon you will be charged for whatever you wish to watch and of course you will still be required to watch more commercials than ever. Eventually the whole thing will collapse.
Paraphasing Rush about Obama “I hope it fails”
In a way I think you’re right and, in a way, wrong.
Only Power-5 conference teams have very good attendance at their games, except for a few top FCS teams in football. In basketball Mid-major teams generally have poor attendance compared to “back in the day”.
The problem appears to be that the students, and others, would rather stay in their dorm rooms and apartments and watch on ESPN than to go to the game in person, so sports on TV is huge!
How about: Is it legal?
I consider this actually interesting due to the parties involved. ESPN partnering w/ Fox Sports?
Wrong.
Ever since a lot of the Pro players took a knee a couple of years ago, I have not watched.
Yes, the consumer is aching for yet another streaming service. NOT
Money money money. The Elites love their money
Want a contrast? YouTube has a few Monday Night Football games from the early 70s. Give them a watch.
ESPN has really dropped the ball on sports broadcasting. They’ve become the PBS of sports. They should have really reinvented themselves as a one-stop streaming sports service when streaming was starting to pick up steam.
D1 women’s basketball is interesting
Iowa ( watch Caitlyn Clark chase the record)
Ohio State (Go Cotie love Jacey Sheldon)
Stanford (cam Brink)
USC (watching Juju start on her chase for the record)
South Caroline (how will they be without Cardosa)
LSU (Angel Reece is a character. Coach Kim was gracious to my girls at an AAU game in Cincinnati)
These aren't three distinct entities as they're all connected under the ABC/Disney umbrella.
I would also expect them to unload the bundled entity after cutting all the fat. The time to sell is now because sports will only continuing their decline in viewership.
It will be the first time Fox has ever made sports broadcast streaming services available without having to have a ‘provider’ such as Comcast, YouTube TV, Direct TV etc. It actually has the potential to really hurt those aforementioned services. I have DTV Stream in order to watch FS 1 & 2 and BTN. I won’t have to do that anymore if I don’t want to. Could be a big savings.
For B1G big games in 2024:
Noon: Fox
3:30: CBS
8:00: NBC
Hope NBC winds up w/ the tOSU @ PSU game and it becomes the Whiteout game.
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