Disney, Fox, Warner Bros appeal ban on Venu Sports, facing antitrust lawsuit from FuboTV.

From Investing.com: 2025-01-06 06:30:36

Three major media companies are appealing a ruling that blocked the launch of their Venu Sports streaming service, arguing that it denies consumers access to a new, lower-cost service for sports fans. Rival FuboTV sued, claiming antitrust violations. The Justice Department and several states support upholding the injunction to protect competition.

The media companies argue that the district court’s decision hinders consumer choice and denies lower prices by preventing competitive entry. The issue at hand is the practice of bundling, which limits access to valuable live sports content. Fubo claims “forced bundling” prevented them from offering a sports-centric service, unlike the media companies’ own joint-venture, Venu Sports.

The Justice Department supports upholding the preliminary injunction, citing concerns that restrictions on competition among joint-venture partners could prevent other sports-only services from emerging. This would give the media companies dominance in distributing sports-focused TV packages, harming competition in the live pay TV market.



Read more at Investing.com: Disney, Fox and Warner Bros to ask court to lift ban on launch of Venu Sports service By Reuters