Welcome to the latest news in the world of sports streaming! FuboTV has made headlines by filing a lawsuit against ESPN, Fox, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Hulu following their announcement of a sports streaming service.
The launch of Venu Sports, a joint venture by ESPN, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery, has hit a roadblock as a federal judge granted FuboTV’s motion for a preliminary injunction. The judge ruled that Fubo was likely to prove antitrust violations and that Fubo and consumers would suffer irreparable harm without an injunction.
FuboTV’s lawsuit comes after years of frustration, as the company has been unable to offer a sports-only streaming service due to bundling requirements imposed by ESPN, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery. These requirements have forced Fubo to spend millions on content that its customers may not even want.
Venu Sports was set to launch at $42.99 per month, offering a variety of linear networks including ESPN, ABC, Fox, and more. Subscribers would also have the option to bundle the service with Disney+, Hulu, and Max.
CEO Pete Distad expressed excitement about the launch, stating, “We will launch at a compelling price point that will appeal to cord-cutters and cord-never fans not served by existing pay TV packages.”
With ESPN, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery each owning a third of the joint venture, the future of Venu Sports remains uncertain as the legal battle continues.