It looks like sports fans are set for an extremely comprehensive all-in-one option. Disney-owned ESPN is partnering with FOX and Warner Bros Discovery to create a package of no fewer than 14 different channels.
The joint venture will offer access to thousands of games and events, across a diverse range of sports – and you’ll be able to bundle the new service with Disney+, Hulu, or Max …
The companies say they’ve reached an agreement in principle to each make their own content available on a non-exclusive service through a new app to be launched in the fall of this year. The app will have its own branding.
The companies say that it will be a “compelling” new service.
The platform would aggregate content to offer fans an extensive, dynamic lineup of sports content, aiming to provide a new and differentiated experience to serve sports fans, particularly those outside of the traditional pay TV bundle.
By subscribing to this focused, all-in-one premier sports service, fans would have access to the linear sports networks including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SECN, ACCN, ESPNEWS, ABC, FOX, FS1, FS2, BTN, TNT, TBS, truTV, as well as ESPN+.
It will include:
- Pro Football: NFL | UFL
- Basketball: NBA | WNBA
- Baseball: MLB
- Hockey: NHL
- College sports (see below)
- Golf: PGA Tour | PGA Championship | The Masters | TGL
- Tennis: Wimbledon | US Open | Australian Open
- Cycling: Giro d’Italia | UCI Mountain Bike World Cup | Giro Donne
- Soccer: FIFA World Cup | U.S. Soccer | NWSL | MLS | LALIGA | Bundesliga | UEFA | CONCACAF
- Combat sports: UFC | Top Rank
- Auto: Formula 1 | NASCAR | 24 Hours of Le Mans
College sports will span “nearly two dozen conferences” including:
- ACC
- Big 10
- Big 12
- Big East
- SEC
- 40 NCAA Championship Events
- NCAA Men’s & Women’s Basketball Tournaments
- The College Football Playoff
Disney CEO Bob Iger said: “The launch of this new streaming sports service is a significant moment for Disney and ESPN [and] a major win for sports fans.”
FOX CEO Lachlan Murdoch commented: “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.”
Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav added that “this exciting joint venture [will provide an] unparalleled combination of marquee sports rights and access to the greatest sporting events in the world.”
There’s still some negotiating to be done on the details, and we’ll have to wait until later to learn the pricing.
Photo by Anders Krøgh Jørgensen on Unsplash
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