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Disney-Fox-Warner Sports Streaming Platform Launch Blocked

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A federal judge has temporarily blocked the launch of a sports streaming service, Venu Sports, a joint venture between Walt Disney, Fox and Warner Bros Discovery. It was scheduled to go live over the next few weeks.

US Judge Margaret Garrett has said that FuboTV, which brought a lawsuit against the companies, is likely to be successful in proving its claim that the partnership is anti-competitive.

Announced in February, Venu aims to woo younger viewers with a bundled offering of the companies’ portfolio of professional and collegiate sports rights, including the National Football League, the National Basketball Association and FIFA World Cup.

Venu subscribers would be able to access 14 traditional TV sports networks of its parent companies, including ESPN, ABC, Fox, TNT and TBS, as well as the streaming service ESPN+.

It was to be made available directly through a new app and subscribers could opt to bundle the service with Disney+, Hulu or Max at a price of $42.99 (A$64.42) per month. It said it aimed to attract 5 million subscribers within five years of its debut.

Judge Garrett noted that Disney, Warner and Fox control about 54 per cent of all US sports rights, and at least 60 per cent of all nationally broadcast US sports rights. “There is significant evidence in the record that the true figures may be even larger,” Garrett said in court papers.

“This means that alone, Disney, Fox, and [Warner Bros. Discovery] are each significant players in live sports licensing, who otherwise compete against each other both to secure sports telecast rights and to attract viewers to their live sports programming. But together, they are dominant,” said Garrett.

Fubo, an internet TV bundle similar to the traditional pay TV package, has said that it intends to move forward with the antitrust lawsuit.

“Today’s ruling is a victory not only for Fubo but also for consumers. This decision will help ensure that consumers have access to a more competitive marketplace with multiple sports streaming options,” said Fubo CEO David Gandler.

The companies backing Venu Sports disagreed. “We believe that Fubo’s arguments are wrong on the facts and the law, and that Fubo has failed to prove it is legally entitled to a preliminary injunction. Venu Sports is a pro-competitive option that aims to enhance consumer choice by reaching a segment of viewers who currently are not served by existing subscription options.”

Here in Australia, the sports streaming market is constantly evolving. Earlier this month, Optus Sport became available on the new Hubbl Streaming box.

As ChannelNews previously reported, the Hubbl box which was launched earlier this year is proving very popular at JB Hi-Fi and has been described as the box that “Is transforming TV viewing in Australia.”

The addition of Optus Sport means that premium sport and entertainment content from 17 global providers is now accessible via the Hubbl box that only needs an Internet connection via Wi-Fi or Ethernet to deliver content in 4K.

With Optus Sport now available on Hubbl, customers can watch every match of the Premier League starting with the first game on August 17, and enjoy the Emirates FA Cup, J-League, Barclays Women’s Super League, National Women’s Soccer League, K-League, DFB-Pokal and DFB Pokal-Frauen and hundreds of international matches, claims Hubbl management.



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