ESPN, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery to launch sports streaming service

ESPN, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery announced Tuesday they would launch a new sports streaming service this fall that will combine their many sports rights, offering everything from the NFL to the World Cup.

The service does not yet have a name or a price, but it is the greatest move to date toward sports content being available outside of cable. Each outlet will own one-third of the new venture, the final terms of which remain under negotiation.

Any sports content that appears on the outlets’ linear or streaming properties would be available on the new service. That includes, among many other properties, the entire MLB postseason, the College Football Playoff, the NBA Finals, the Stanley Cup finals, the World Cup and in some years the Super Bowl.

In a news release, the companies said the service would give subscribers access to ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SEC Network, ACC Network, ESPNews, ABC, Fox, Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports 2, Big Ten Network, TNT, TBS and truTV, as well as streaming outlet ESPN Plus. Consumers would be able to bundle the product with other streaming services, per the release.

“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 in the release.

ESPN is still planning to offer its own direct-to-consumer service next year. Warner Bros. Discovery has begun to offer some of its sports offerings on its streaming service, Max. Fox had notably stayed out of the streaming business, keeping all of its rights on broadcast TV or cable until now.

“We’re pumped to bring the FOX Sports portfolio to this new and exciting platform,” Fox Corp. CEO Lachlan Murdoch said in the release. “We believe the service will provide passionate fans outside of the traditional bundle an array of amazing sports content all in one place.”