Walt Disney’s (DIS) ESPN network, Fox (FOX) and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) are teaming up to launch a new joint sports streaming service this autumn.
The still unnamed sports streaming platform will be owned by a newly formed company that has its own separate leadership team, said the companies in a news release.
Disney, Fox, and Warner Bros. will each own a one-third stake in the new venture.
Consumers will be able to subscribe to the sports streaming service via a new app, and will also be given the opportunity to bundle it with the companies’ other streaming platforms such as Disney+, Hulu and HBO Max.
Through the new streaming platform, consumers will be able to access a wide range of live sports events from the combined companies’ various networks that include ESPN, ESPN2, ABC, TNT, TBS, FS1 and FS2.
Pricing for the sports streaming service hasn’t been announced, but analysts said that a logical starting point could be $45 U.S. to $50 U.S. per month, with introductory pricing of about $30 U.S. a month to attract consumers.
The creation of the new specialty sports streaming service comes at a time when ratings for top-tier sports, such as the National Football League (NFL) and National Basketball Association (NBA), have risen sharply.
Disney said that the launch of the joint sports streaming service with Fox and Warner Bros. does not preclude it from offering a separate direct-to-consumer streaming product from ESPN, which the Mouse House is still planning to debut by 2025.