FOX ESPN and Warner Brothers App- A Sports Streaming Platform

Raise your hand if you stream sports and you’re sick of having to navigate a million different apps? Raise another limb if you want an option that includes all the sports you personally watch at a decent price point? Well, friends… we are gathered here today… because we might slightly be getting our wish. A FOX ESPN and Warner Brothers app is on the way.

ESPN broke the news just days before one of the biggest; if not THE biggest, annual sports events in the world, the Super Bowl. The sports network reveals,

“ESPN, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery announced plans on Tuesday to launch a sports streaming platform in the fall that will include offerings from at least 15 networks and all four major professional sports leagues.

A one-stop app to view most sports should be a welcome sight for fans, who continue to navigate rising costs by subscribing to multiple services.

The three companies will each share one-third ownership in the joint venture. A name for the service and pricing will be announced at a later date.

The platform will include games from the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, WNBA, NASCAR and college sports, including the men’s and women’s NCAA tournament, as well as golf, tennis and the FIFA World Cup.

It will include offerings from 15 linear networks: ESPN, ESPN+, ESPN2, ESPNU, SEC Network, ACC Network, ESPNEWS, ABC, Fox, FS1, FS2, Big Ten Network, TNT, TBS, truTV.

Subscribers would also have the ability to bundle the product with Disney+, Hulu and/or Max.”

FOX ESPN and Warner Brothers App- A Sports Streaming Platform

Sounds major. However, what if you’re totally fine with your current ESPN subscription? CNBC reports: The new app won’t replace existing plans that ESPN has to offer its sports content in a separate streaming app, a person familiar with the matter told CNBC.” So then, if you’re happy; and it’s not broken to you; you don’t have to change anything.

Nevertheless, Bob Iger, Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company made a brief statement about this new app venture. He believes that this app will bring unbelievable value to sports lovers. Iger states,

“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. I’m grateful to Jimmy Pitaro and the team at ESPN, who are at the forefront of innovating on behalf of consumers to create new offerings with more choice and greater value.”

Moreover, Lachlan Murdoch, Executive Chair and Chief Executive Officer of FOX also shares his excitement. He says,

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

Okay, what about the Warner Bros? David Zaslav, Chief Executive Officer of Warner Bros. Discovery, feels that the app is groundbreaking. He mentions,

“This exciting joint venture and the unparalleled combination of marquee sports rights and access to the greatest sporting events in the world. This new sports service exemplifies our ability as an industry to drive innovation and provide consumers with more choice, enjoyment, and value.”

The Same Old, Same Old?

While this app sounds great. Does this really solve the problem with sports viewing? Cable literally had all this going for it already; it just became way too ridiculously expensive. Leading to the masses engaging in cord-cutting.

Furthermore, speaking of expensive, the price of this new app will also partially determine its success. If not affordable, it won’t really help those that turned to streaming to get their bank accounts to stop screaming. The other issue, is that some games; very important games will still not be available. Is the Peacock playoff game ringing a bell?

Now, the Chiefs and Dolphins game did set a sports streaming record with 23.6 million viewers. Yet, how many of those viewers subscribed and then unsubscribed immediately after the game ended?

Also, the Lions versus Bucs game ended up dwarfing that figure. According to NBC Sports Pressbox over 40 million viewers tuned in (peaking at over 49 million); making it NBC’s most watched NFL Divisional Playoff game since 1994 when a Kansas City Chiefs Joe Montana took on a Houston Oilers Warren Moon.

This demonstrates that more football fans would have tuned into the Dolphins/Chiefs game if not “behind the wall;” of the Peacock app. NBC literally could have had double the viewers. But, a different call was made. And fans missed out. A good chunk of individuals just could not bring themselves to add one more service; one more bill (even if it was just $5/$6). Yet, the Peacock playoffs incidence is only the beginning.

Proving that whether fans want it or not, sports and streaming are going to be married. And even though, millions are screaming out; speaking and refusing NOT to forever hold their peace; sports networks and industries aren’t listening. Vows have been said, rings are on fingers.

Therefore, let’s all just hope this juggernaut partnership pays off. Providing a reasonable, comprehensive sports plan that makes it easy for fans to see the content they want. They’re promising value with decent pricing. Let’s see if the powers that be actually mean it… and deliver it.

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