Parties lobby against US sports streaming JV
May 3, 2024
By Colin Mann
Eight co-signatories (Fubo, DISH Networks, DirecTV, Newsmax and public interest groups Sports Fans Coalition, American Economic Liberties Project, Electronic Frontier Foundation and Open Markets Institute) have sent a letter to Congressional leaders urging their Committees hold hearings on the future of competition in pay-TV.
In the letter, they write “Recent developments in the pay-TV market – including the programming giants’ new joint venture (JV), a streaming TV service that would control 80 per cent of national live sports broadcasts – raise serious competition concerns that call for Congress’s immediate oversight.”
In February 2024, sports-first live TV streaming platform Fubo filed an antitrust lawsuit against The Walt Disney Company, FOX Corp, Warner Bros Discovery and their affiliates, alleging that the vertically-integrated media companies have engaged in a years-long campaign to block Fubo’s innovative sports-first streaming business resulting in significant harm to both Fubo and consumers.