Court date set for Fubo’s antitrust lawsuit
April 22, 2024
A preliminary injunction hearing in Fubo’s antitrust lawsuit against a new US sports streaming platform from ESPN, Fox and Warner Bros Discovery has been scheduled for August 7th at the US District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Fubo filed its lawsuit against the as-yet unnamed service back in February, alleging that the three companies have engaged in a years-long campaign to block Fubo’s streaming business resulting in significant harm to both Fubo and consumers. Their complaint stated: “For decades, Defendants have leveraged their iron grip on sports content to extract billions of dollars in supra-competitive profits”.
When the service was first unveiled, Fubo responded by saying: “This joint venture spotlights a concerning trend where an alliance with significant market share, reportedly controlling 60-85 per cent of all sports content, could dictate market terms in a manner that may not serve the broader interests of consumers. We believe our robust programming and quality product experience cannot be duplicated by what is likely to emerge from this joint venture.”
If the judge grants Fubo’s request for an injunction after the hearing, it is assumed the service would then not be able to launch until its legal options played out in court, or if it could reach a settlement with Fubo.
The joint venture platform is currently slated for an autumn launch.