Warner Bros. Discovery, ESPN and Fox will team up to create of "an innovative new platform" which will steam NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL games as well as some of the most important sporting events and tournaments in the world such as the FIFA World Cup, Formula 1, the PGA Tour and three of the four Tennis Grand Slams (Wimbledon, the U.S. Open and the Australian Open).
WBD, ESPN and FOX to create a sports streaming service with an unparalleled combination of marquee sports rights.
CEO David Zaslav: “This new sports service exemplifies our ability as an industry to drive innovation and provide consumers with more choice, enjoyment and value."
— Warner Bros. Discovery (@wbd) February 6, 2024
This platform is the result of a partnership between the three companies. They assured in a statement that they reached an agreement to formalize the creation of the new platform. The launch of the new subscription service is scheduled for fall of this year.
With the subscription, viewers will be able to enjoy content from the three companies, such as ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SECN, ACCN, ESPNEWS, ABC, FOX, FS1, FS2, BTN, TNT, TBS, TruTV and ESPN+.
"A major win for sports fans"
The CEOs of the three companies spoke after the agreement was made public. Bob Iger of The Walt Disney Company said:
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. This means the full suite of ESPN channels will be available to consumers alongside the sports programming of other industry leaders as part of a differentiated sports-centric service.
Lachlan Murdoch of Fox said: "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."
David Zaslav of Warner Bros. Discovery recognized that "our ambition is always to connect our leading content and brands with as many viewers as possible, and this exciting joint venture and the unparalleled combination of marquee sports rights and access to the greatest sporting events in the world allows us to do just that. This new sports service exemplifies our ability as an industry to drive innovation and provide consumers with more choice, enjoyment and value and we’re thrilled to deliver it to sports fans."
