Rival networks ESPN, Fox, and Warner Bros. join forces to launch a sports streaming service this year in the U.S.

The platform, which will be owned by a newly formed company with its own leadership team, does not yet have a name or price.

Rival networks ESPN, Fox, and Warner Bros. join forces to launch a sports streaming service this year in the U.S.

LeBron James (L) and Patrick Mahomes (R) (Credits: Imago)

In massive news for sports lovers across the country, multiple rival networks, including ESPN, Fox, and Warner Bros., are joining forces to launch a premium sports streaming service across the United States this year. 

According to several reports that broke out on Tuesday, the top companies are doing a joint venture that will give fans access to marquee live sports in a new way for the first time. The streaming service will be owned by a completely new company with a new leadership team, but it doesn’t yet have a name or price.

Fans will be able to subscribe to the platform via an application, and subscribers can also bundle the product with the streaming platforms Disney+, Hulu, and Max. Each company, which separately owns rights to major sports leagues and top college conferences, will own a third of the new platform, and their contents will be licensed to it on a non-exclusive deal.

The move comes in the middle of the trend of streaming services getting a piece of sporting events apart from movies and TV shows.

Recently, even Netflix entered the sports game as they signed a 10-year, $5 billion deal to be the exclusive home of the sports entertainment show WWE. So, now, the top companies are trying to get in on the streaming action. It’s basically a cable network but in a modernized way.

The three companies have been reportedly involved in talks for the last six months regarding this move. Now, they have finally announced it to the public.

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.
 Lachlan Murdoch, CEO of Fox Corp. said on Tuesday

Disney CEO Bob Iger about ESPN, Fox, Warner Bros. merger

ESPN, Fox, and Warner Bros.’s new streaming service will have games from several sports, including the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, WNBA, NASCAR, and college sports. They will also have soccer, golf, and tennis games.

Patrick Mahomes
Patrick Mahomes (Via Imago)

Disney CEO Bob Iger believes the new joint venture will be a massive victory for sports fans and a major step for the media in the sports business.

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 on Tuesday

As previously mentioned, all the networks involved in the venture have rights to certain sporting leagues around the world, and now those events will all be available on the same network. The price for the streaming service is expected to be announced soon.

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