AEW Broadcast Partner WBD To Launch Sports Streaming Service With Fox, ESPN
While it remains unclear if AEW will extend its soon-to-be-expiring TV rights deal with Warner Brothers Discovery, the multinational mass media company has confirmed they have partnered with two major organizations to create a new streaming service. As outlined in their press release, Warner Bros. Discovery is teaming up with ESPN and FOX to form a joint streaming platform that will showcase the companies' wide collection of sports programs.
Once launched, this all-in-one sports service would offer fans access to several notable sports networks, such as ESPN, ESPN2, ABC, FS1, FS2, truTV, TNT, TBS, and ESPN+. Across those networks, viewers would then be able to view thousands of high-profile sporting events within the realm of professional football, basketball, baseball, hockey, golf, and, interestingly, UFC, which merged with WWE last year to form TKO Group Holdings. There is currently no word if professional wrestling content will be featured on the service, as neither WWE nor AEW was mentioned in the press release.
As of now, the project is scheduled to debut on a new app in the fall of 2024. Subscribers of this platform would also have the opportunity to bundle their experience with other streaming services including Disney+, Hulu and/or Max. Other details, such as the potential subscription cost, are planned to be announced in the future. WBD's Chief Executive Officer David Zaslav provided a comment on this Joint Venture (JV), sharing his excitement to unveil the results with consumers in the near future.
"At WBD, our ambition is always to connect our leading content and brands with as many viewers as possible, and this exciting joint venture and the unparalleled combination of marquee sports rights and access to the greatest sporting events in the world allows us to do just that," Zaslav said. "This new sports service exemplifies our ability as an industry to drive innovation and provide consumers with more choice, enjoyment and value and we're thrilled to deliver it to sports fans."