link: https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/other/espn-fox-warner-brothers-creating-sports-streaming-service/ar-BB1hVwhT

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ESPN, Fox, Warner Brothers creating sports streaming service
Story by Mackenzie Meaney • 6h

ESPN, Fox, and Warner Brothers have announced that they will launch a joint streaming service sometime this year, dedicated to broadcasting live games across 15 networks and all big four leagues.

“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 and Executive Chair Lachlan Murdoch said in a statement to ESPN.

So far, 15 channels have been announced to broadcast on the service to try and make it as complete of a one-stop-shop as it can be — ESPN, ESPN+, ESPN 2, ESPNU, SEC Network, ACC Network, ESPNEWS, ABC, Fox, FS1, FS2, Big 10 Network, TNT, TBS and TruTV headline the lineup. Leagues that will be broadcasted include the NBA, NFL, NHL, WNBA, MLB, NASCAR, and college sports, like the men’s and women’s NCAA tournaments. Tennis, golf and the FIFA World Cup will also have a place there.

Consumers will be able to subscribe directly in the app and have the option to bundle the service with Disney+, Hulu, or Max. CNBC estimates that the price for the service will be anywhere between $45 and $50 a month. To pay for each of those streaming services individually (ESPN+, Fox and Warner Brothers) would total $25.98 a month (ESPN+ is $10.99/month, Fox Nation is $5.99/month and Discovery+ (ad-free) is $9.00/month).

“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,” Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger said in a statement to ESPN. “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.”

Disney has been trying to find a strategic partner for ESPN for some time, with some early talks between Iger and sports leagues to come on as minority investors in the business as they look to bolster their streaming capabilities.

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First, this announcement was the first time I was aware that Turner sports was under the Time Warner label.

Secondly, I wonder if this will result in the streaming content providers that offer ESPN and TNT to jack up their prices.

cuz i pay less than that for ALL them channels in my sports package (i think it's 9.99 a month, or 12.99, i forget).

if they do? i give up. i'm gonna just stop consuming everything. literally the last thing i want is another streaming service i have to subscribe to in order to watch what i want.

I suspect they'll probably jack up for the fees to carry those channels rather than outright yank them from cable packages.

I would imagine all these channels being in one spot removes a ton of bargaining leverage cable companies will have when these big three increase coverage fees.

,

all i can say is i used to have YouTube TV then that shit started to cost the same as having cable, cuz i used to have to have 8 other streaming platforms to get everything i wanted...so i just went back to cable.

increasing the overall package price, hurts.

Obviously I still can get Sunday ticket through regular YouTube, but I have to pay $100 extra every year to do so

FOH

NBC/Xfinity runs the local Chicago Bulls broadcast.
As long as YTTV keeps that, I don't mind paying the fee.

but are you able to watch local TV through an antenna? I have one that is plastered flat against my living room wall. I bought it back when I actually didn't mind getting stuff from Amazon; don't know if brick and mortar stores sell them though.

One benefit from watching live TV over streamed content is that streamed content seems to have a 1-2 minute delay compared to stuff that's live. Dunno if you have that option or not though.

before I had YTTV which comes with locals, I had a pretty nice one for my local channels. It actually told you the best way to orient it to pick up the digital signal. Paid like $40 for it.

The picture from over the air is so much better than streaming.

Just checked Best Buy's website and I noticed they have something similar to what I was describing before:

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/best-buy-essentials-thin-indoor-hdtv-antenna-35-mile-range-black-white/6454218.p?skuId=6454218

I don't know what other brick and mortar electronics stores you might have in your area that could sell it as well. It's a shame Radio Shack went the way of the Dodo bird as they'd for sure have it.

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Of course, there are a million services with piecemeal stuff on it - but like with anything else, you need 3+ services to see all the stuff you really WANT.

I'm somewhat surprised the corporations are banding together on this - because within the next 2 years or so, we will be seeing mergers or outright shuttering of some of these streamers - and nobody really has a clue as to which ones that might be. Netflix and Disney are secure, and Hulu likely is too - but the rest are just question marks at this point.

Also, I don't know how tangential this response is to yours, but I do wonder when the streaming bubble will eventually burst.

Also also, with TV rights being tied into NBA salary caps and the league looking to earn as much ducats as they can from TV partners, I'm a bit worried if and when consumers are going to get heavy in the wallet to line the pockets for players and owners as it pertains to streaming.

I use Concur at work for expenses and shit.

The streaming bubble HAS burst. I just don't know if everyone knows it yet. But the march toward profitability is the reason you're seeing things shelved/removed/written off by streamers. There's a million rumors of who's buying what and the general industry sentiment is that only 3 of these things can truly survive.

Netflix and Disney are the big players at the moment - but now with reporting on viewing data, tightening of budgets, etc - that can change pretty quickly.

... they basically only exist as vanity projects for the bajillion dollar companies they're tied to at this point, lol.

that Amazon is actually starting to insert ads into Amazon Prime video content and is actually starting to charge folks to remove the ads?

Tough to tell if it's just plain ole greed or if Amazon Video is hurting for funds.

Amazon is not hurting for funds, of course.

Amazon Video is certainly not doing GREAT. They're a mess. But they're funded by Amazon, so who cares.

People seem to forget that TV/radio is paid for by the commercials. Yes, you have premium cable that you used to go above and beyond to pay for with no commercials like HBO, etc. But people have Amazon Prime and the video component is just a throw in - so now they're trying to pay for it.

mainly because over the years, Amazon has been charging more and more for Prime while offering less and less in terms of Prime benefits; this ad feature is the latest example.

I suppose Netflix is offering ads in their content as well, so I suppose Amazon isn't alone in that regard; still doesn't mean that I don't find it offensive.

To bring this back to the context of sports, I feel sorry for folks that are huge enough sports fans that are locked out of watching content because of streaming rights; I believe Amazon has rights to Thursday Night Football if I'm not mistaken.

But commercials - whether actual BREAKS or product integrations - is mostly how all this stuff is paid for.

Yes, subscribers are also part of that - but if Prime is basically free shipping, then anything else is a cherry on top.

If I bought this along with all my other apps I’m prolly spending more than a cable bill.

Of course I can cancel at anytime which is the plus.

Cable alone is 120

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which, honestly, i've paid like $260 before so i'm kew with that price right now.

Have it on auto pay and wife sets it up

We pay for xfinity

YTTV $76 ($88 during NFL season when I add the package with RedZone)
Hulu $16.99
Netflix $14.99
MAX (free through my cel phone provider)
Prime Video (part of my Prime account)
Peacock $6.99
Internet 400 Mbps $104.99
$232....looks like I'm league average

Att fiber internet 300mbp $55
Netflix 17.99
Paramount $13
Apple+ (pretty sure I had a CC rebate for this) $7 per month
Disney/Hulu/ESPN+ bundle $20
Prime (part of account)
Peacock (free with rebate)
Max (paid yearly) $12 per


about $130 per month.

Paramount will be canceled after the SB.
Peacock will be canceled after the free rebate next month.

I’ve had Netflix so long I want to cancel for a month just to feel like I’m in control but the kids use it as much as we do.

I don't count internet ($91) really because I'm going to have internet with or without cable, packaging it with cable has never really saved me much in my experience

YouTube TV - $79
Netflix - $25
Disney+ / Hulu / ESPN+ combo - $19
HBO Max - $16
Paramount+ with Showtime - $12

$151 for streaming, which is about the same as I would have spent on cable (I could do without Netflix and the Disney bundle but those are more for the family)

I just cannot deal with the cable companies ever again, the set top boxes and installation/return fees are not worth it

(well, I guess we COULD go to Comcast, but my wife has made it clear that she's never fucking with them again).

But the way our house to situated, we can't do DirectTV/any sort of dish anymore; the signal won't come through.

So, as much as it's appear that streaming services are becoming a hustle, I'm going to have to stick with using YouTube TV and ge the various other streaming services.

which meant I could get Sunday Ticket through streaming.

Pretty sure I can get Direct TV streaming service but as soon as I saw “2 year contract” I closed the tab on my phone.

don't need a dish for that.

they see the end and have been diversifying for awhile

from what I understand, soccer is set up where you have to subscribe to 20 different companies to see your team play through a full season (in Europe)

the millions who said "it's just $5, I'm cancelling Peacock tonight" after Chiefs-Dolphins are going to be telling us in the future that "it's just $10 for the wild card round, I'm cancelling once they get to the divisionals" and then "it's just $50 for the playoffs, I'm cancelling after the Super Bowl"

as such, i get to watch about zero Seattle Sounders games now, where as up until the switch last season, EVERY Sounders game was televised locally.

but my club is PSV, and Eredivisie is included in ESPN+

At $40 minimum just buy cable tv but $35 is enough for most people to sign up. Currently paying $3 per month for Hulu and Disney+ while discovering ways to watch live sports.

Gotta be able to pull out at anytime.

I put an antenna in the attic to send local channels to all rooms of the house. Then I got Max for free through AT&T. Got Prime and the Disney Plus/Hulu/ESPN+ package. And that's it. For new movies, I'm gonna keep using direct download sites to build my own home server. I refuse to pay $100+ dollars for cable anymore.

In the end, I watch more regular YouTube than anything these days. Podcats got me.

Antenna, Netflix, Disney+ bundle and MAX through AT&T.

Outside of that it's the high seas for me, mostly for live sports.

I haven't had regular cable for about a decade or so; how much is a normal cable bill? I'm assuming this $42.99 about is about a half or third of a normal cable bill.

Ignoring the cable TV comparison, $42.99 per month is a very, very, very step price for a sports only streaming service IMO.

I'm hoping the three partners here don't yank their collective services away from the major streaming providers; I'm guessing they're going to increase the sports licensing fees to force the streaming providers to jack up charges on customers.

Just under a $100 for two months of only sports coverage is insane to me.

other cable subscribers were basically subsiding us.

for the 2025/2026 season will make this package somewhat worthless since this Venu package will only give you partial NBA coverage.