ESPN, Warner Discovery and Fox Sports announced Tuesday that they will partner to create a massive new streaming network dedicated to sports.
The service is scheduled to launch in the fall and will include broadcasts from the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and other professional sports leagues, according to a joint news release by the three companies. The streaming service will be available via an app, and customers will have an option of bundling it with Disney+, Hulu and/or Max, according to the companies.
People watching a game in a sports bar on TV screens.
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Disney CEO Bob Iger called the new service a “major win for sports fans” in a statement released Tuesday.
“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,” he said.
ESPN is owned by the Walt Disney Company, the parent company of ABC News.
“We believe the service will provide passionate fans outside of the traditional bundle an array of amazing sports content all in one place,” Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch said in a statement.
A group of friends watching a football game on TV at a bar.
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“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,” Warner Discovery CEO David Zazloff said in a statement.
Each of the three companies would own one-third of the service, have equal board representation and license their sports content to the joint venture on a nonexclusive basis, according to the release.
The companies said the service would have a new brand with an independent management team.
