Three major media companies are teaming up to create a new sports streaming service that could spell trouble for the cable TV industry. The service from Fox, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Disney-owned ESPN, three of the top sports rights holders, will offer content from all major US sports leagues, the Wall Street Journal. For sports fans, it will be an enticing bowl of alphabet soup: The AP reports that the service, which doesn't have a name yet, will include NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, WNBA, and NASCAR content, plus golf, tennis, and college sports, among other offerings.
Subscribers will be able to access the networks ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SEC Network, ACC Network, ESPNEWS, ABC, FOX, FS1, FS2, Big Ten Network, TNT, TBS, and truTV, along with ESPN+. No price has been disclosed for the new service, which will be offered as a standalone service or bundled with Hulu, Disney+, or Max, Deadline reports. The service will be launched this fall and sources tell the Journal that a chief executive will be named within weeks. USA Today notes that with cord-cutting already rising steeply, the new service "knocks down one of the last major pillars of cable" by allowing subscribers to stream major sports games without a cable TV package.
The service will be jointly owned by the three companies. "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. Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch said the company is "pumped to bring the Fox Sports portfolio to this new and exciting platform." (More streaming video stories.)
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