Future of sports streaming market, consumer options under further scrutiny after Venu Sports ruling

Irwin Kishner, co-chair of Herrick's Sports Law Group, was quoted in The Associated Press in an article discussing an injunction issued by a federal court resulting in the sidelining of a new sports streaming service.  According to the article, the Court found that the plaintiff was likely to be successful in proving that Venu Sports - the joint venture between ESPN, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery - would violate antitrust laws. Plans to offer the sports streaming service were announced in February, with expectations of a soft launch this summer. 

Irwin said getting the service up and running in less than seven months would be a tall order. “You can certainly put a deadline to try to get things going. But, I think that was somewhat aspirational as opposed to likely.” 

Irwin said he wasn’t surprised about the ruling. “Having three of the biggest providers of sports content in one entity, you can certainly make a colorful argument that might thwart competition,” he said.

The article notes that "Venu Sports would include offerings from 14 linear networks." According to the article, "streaming companies and cable and satellite providers hope the ruling will advance discussions regarding how media companies sell their content." These discussions include the future of bundling packages versus "a la carte" offerings. 

Read the full article in The Associated Press here. Access may require a subscription.