FuboTV Sues Against Sports Streaming Venture By Disney's ESPN, FOX, Warner Bros.

(RTTNews) - Streaming service FuboTV has filed an antitrust lawsuit against the proposed sports streaming service by media companies ESPN, a subsidiary of Walt Disney Co., FOX Corp. and Warner Bros. Discovery, reports said.

The lawsuit, filed in the Southern District of New York, seeks to block the sports streaming joint venture, arguing that the plan to offer all-in-one premier sports package would encourages illegal market manipulation and make the business more expensive.

FuboTV is seeking a jury trial. The sports-first streaming platform reportedly said the new joint venture essentially is stealing its idea.

It was in early February that Disney's ESPN, FOX and Warner Bros. Discovery announced their plan to jointly launch a streaming sports service in the United States in the fall of 2024.

The companies' proposed joint venture would provide sports content all in one place outside of the traditional bundle. They will develop, launch and operate a streaming sports bundle of linear networks and certain direct-to-consumer or DTC sports content and services.

In the JV, each entity would own one-third, have equal board representation and license their sports content to the JV on a non-exclusive basis. The service would have a new brand with an independent management team.

Bob Iger, Chief Executive Officer of Walt Disney, then 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."