“This Sports Cartel Blocked Our Playbook and Now They’re Stealing It for Themselves.” Judge Sides With Fubo in Disney Lawsuit

Disney has big plans for its streaming services.

©Disney

Not only is streaming the company’s #1 priority, but Disney also just launched a new bundle with Disney+, Hulu, and Max, offering a first-of-its-kind streaming subscription bundle. Disney is also working with Warner Bros. and Fox to launch a mega sports streaming subscription service called Venu Sports, but plans for that service have officially been halted for now.

In February, FuboTV, another sports streaming service, filed a lawsuit against Disney, Fox, and Warner Bros. over Venu, with both ESPN and Hulu also named as defendants. The lawsuit alleged “extreme suppression of competition in the US sports-focused streaming market.” This basically means that FuboTV is accusing the three companies of creating a monopoly with their new joint streaming service. “Simply put, this sports cartel blocked our playbook for many years, and now they are effectively stealing it for themselves,” Fubo stated in a press release.

©Getty Images

Now, according to the Associated Press, the launch of Venu — which was expected to happen this fall — has been delayed by a federal judge after granting FuboTV’s motion for a preliminary injunction against the joint streaming service. U.S. District Judge Margaret M. Garnett in the Southern District of New York said that Fubo was likely to be able to prove that the joint streaming service would violate antitrust laws. The judge also stated that consumers would “face irreparable harm in the absence of an injunction.”

©Venu Sports

Disney-owned ESPN and Fox, along with Warner Bros. Discovery, have said they would appeal this ruling. Venu has already launched a website where it states: “Welcome to the future home of sports streaming. Venu will bring the most sought-after live sports from the top leagues and teams, together in one place. All in a new app built from the ground up for sports fans.”

Venu recently released its initial price as $42.99 per month and promised that anyone who signed up for that price would have it locked in for one year, suggesting the cost would go up for those who subscribe later after its launch. Now, it seems that the launch timeline will be delayed.

We’ll keep an eye on the situation and keep you updated, so check back with AllEars again soon for more.