The unnamed sports bundle streaming service is a proposed United States sports-focused streaming service to be operated as a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company (via majority-owned subsidiary ESPN Inc.), Fox Corporation (via Fox Sports), and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD, via TNT Sports), each of which will own one-third of the venture. The service was announced on February 6, 2024, and is scheduled to launch in fall 2024.[1]

The service would bundle virtually all of the U.S. national sports broadcast rights controlled by the three companies in a single subscription, with limited entertainment and news content. It would be specifically targeted to cord-cutters and cord-nevers who do not currently subscribe to either a traditional cable or satellite TV package or an existing mainstream virtual MVPD such as YouTube TV.[2]

Branding

The initial announcement indicated the service would have a "new brand", though that brand was not identified immediately.

A few days after the announcement, one report indicated that the partners were strongly considering the name Hulu Sports, which would brand the service as an extension of Disney's general-interest streaming service Hulu, which similarly began its existence as a joint venture between several media companies. However, other names were still under consideration at that point.[3]

Prior to this report, the service had been unofficially termed "Spulu" (as in sports Hulu) by some commentators, referencing the similarities in the services' origins.[4][5]

Content

The service is expected to function similarly to a virtual MVPD in that it will carry almost all of the three companies' English-language U.S. linear broadcast and cable channels that offer sports content, including the ABC and Fox broadcast networks; general sports channels ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNews, FS1, and FS2; college sports channels ACC Network, Big Ten Network, ESPNU, and SEC Network; and the three primary WBD cable networks that carry sports coverage: TBS, TNT, and TruTV.[6] It will also include access to the content of Disney's existing direct-to-consumer sports service ESPN+.[2]

The streaming service will provide access to the same sports events that are currently offered by the above-listed services, which as of February 2024 include the majority of national broadcasting rights to NBA, NHL, and MLB games, the College Football Playoff and almost all NCAA-organized championships, as well as select NFL matches, among many other properties.[7]

However, the service will not provide access to sports events controlled by regional sports networks, third-party streaming services such as Prime Video and Apple TV+, and other major traditional broadcasters, particularly Paramount Global (owner of CBS and Paramount+) and NBCUniversal (owner of NBC and Peacock).[7] Moreover, Paramount and NBCUniversal were not invited to participate in the venture.[2]

The companies have stated that all programming will be offered on a non-exclusive basis, as the channels and content will continue to be made available through existing TV providers and/or the companies' respective standalone services.[8]

While subscribers will be able to watch any entertainment and news programming that regularly airs on these channels in addition to sports, the service will not carry other channels owned by these companies that are typically included in cable bundles, such as CNN or Fox News.[1] However, in situations where sports broadcasts are carried by the companies' other channels, those channels may be carried temporarily as "pop-up" feeds.[3]

Distribution

The service will be available individually through a new bespoke app, or as part of a bundle with Disney+, Hulu, and/or Max.[8]

As of February 2024, pricing for the service has not yet been announced, however reports have indicated that the regular price per month would be higher than US$30, and likely at least $45.[2][7]

Management and regulatory concerns

The service will be overseen by a separate management team at arms-length from the three partners.[7]

The formation of the joint venture will not, according to the companies, affect their respective plans to compete with each other for sports broadcast rights going forward, nor will the joint-venture service seek any exclusive rights of its own.[7] Because of this, as well as the statement that all content will continue to be available through other platforms, many analysts have indicated they do not expect the formation of the venture to raise antitrust concerns.[9] Nonetheless, the existing sports-focused vMVPD FuboTV expressed concerns following the announcement about the venture's impact on "fair market competition".[9]

References

  1. ^ a b Mullin, Benjamin; Draper, Kevin (February 6, 2024). "Disney, Fox and Warner Bros. Join Forces for Sports Streaming Service". The New York Times. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d Sherman, Alex (February 2, 2024). "New sports streaming bundle could be a 'monster' — or a dud. Here are the biggest remaining questions". CNBC.com. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  3. ^ a b Keys, Matthew (February 15, 2024). "Exclusive: Fox-ESPN-WBD sports service could be called Hulu Sports". TheDesk.net. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
  4. ^ Frankel, Daniel (February 15, 2024). "Pay TV Companies, and the DOJ, Push Back on Big 'Spulu' Sports Streaming Joint Venture". NextTV. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
  5. ^ "Downstream #62: Spulu" (Podcast). February 9, 2024. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
  6. ^ Frankel, Daniel (February 6, 2024). "Why 'Re-bundling Has to Happen': Breaking Down the New ESPN, Turner and Fox Sports Streaming JV". NextTV. Future Publishing Limited. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d e Lafayette, Jon (February 6, 2024). "TV Giants Team Up for Sports Comeback vs. Streamers". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  8. ^ a b Hayes, Dade (February 6, 2024). "Disney, Fox And Warner Bros. Discovery Team On Sports Streaming Venture". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  9. ^ a b Hayes, Dade (February 7, 2024). "Streaming Pay-TV Service Fubo, After Its Stock Tumbles 23%, Blasts New Disney-Fox-WBD Sports Bundle: "Every Consumer In America Should Be Concerned"". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
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