ESPN-Fox-Warner Bros. Discovery sports streamer has big names, small return

When ESPN, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery announced a joint venture to launch a sports streaming service, the predictable joke that followed was, “We already have this. It’s called cable.”

I was among those jokesters, and none of us will be writing for late-night talk shows anytime soon. But there is truth behind the words that are drenched in sarcasm.

Let’s back up first. On Feb. 6, the three broadcasters, who have been longtime competitors for sports rights, made their stunning announcement. They were short on details such as a name and a price, but they expected to launch the service this fall. The list of channels included is thorough: ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SEC, ACC, ESPNEWS, ABC, Fox, FS1, FS2, BTN, TNT, TBS and truTV. It even comes with ESPN+.

But thorough does not equal complete. Missing from this newfangled bundle are CBS and NBC, which have pretty good menus of sports programming. That means “the passionate sports fan,” to whom the announcement said this service is directed, won’t have access to NFL games on those two networks. That’s two-thirds of an NFL Sunday. CBS’ coverage of the NCAA Tournament is also missing.

None of the league networks are included, either, and they carry lots of games, some exclusively. You also won’t find your regional sports network(s).

Do you know where all of it is available? Cable.

But the service isn’t directed at sports fans with cable. It’s directed at sports fans who have never had cable or have given it up. If you fall into either category, does an incomplete package sound appealing? Right off the bat, you’ll need to add Paramount+ and Peacock, CBS’ and NBC’s streaming services, to reassemble what you already have through, say, Hulu or YouTube. And don’t forget your RSN.

YouTube TV, which has become the live-TV streamer of choice for sports fans, costs $72.99 per month. Industry sources believe the new service will cost $40-$50 per month. But adding Paramount+ and Peacock will raise your cost $12, and your RSN could cost another $20. At the low end, you’re paying about the same as YouTube TV costs and getting less.

(In the Chicago market, Marquee Sports Network isn’t included with YouTube TV, though it is available on DirecTV Stream and Fubo. NBC Sports Chicago is available on all three, as well as Hulu + Live TV.)

The cost would represent significant savings for cable subscribers, who are overloaded with broadcast TV and regional sports fees (currently $45 on Xfinity) that push the monthly rate past $100. But there’s an ease to using cable that streaming hasn’t duplicated, such as channel surfing. Having to move from one streamer to another or even within the same streamer can take time.

ESPN, Fox and WBD are pushing on, though they’re already facing pressure. The Department of Justice said it will examine the service when the deal is completed, according to Bloomberg Law. Fubo sued the companies to prevent them from creating the service, which Fubo said would hurt competition. And the NFL took umbrage with the service after being left out of the loop by the triumvirate.

Complicating the matter further is that ESPN is still planning to launch its direct-to-consumer service next year. Will it devalue that product by partnering with Fox and WBD first? Or will it offer more to customers who purchase its DTC and bypass the new service? ESPN, Fox and WBD will each own one-third of the joint venture as they try to recoup money they’re losing from the diminishing cable bundle.

If this is the companies’ effort to make sports viewing more convenient, it’s incomplete. Yes, more sports would be on one streaming service than ever before, but so much would still be missing. We’ve gone from the one-stop shop of cable to piecing together our favorite programming. It’s the price we pay for having our sports viewing subsidized by non-sports viewers all those years.

Maybe this three-way deal is a step toward a one-stop streaming shop for sports. Maybe such a shop will never happen. This much we know: The ESPN, Fox and WBD networks are already available elsewhere with significantly less hassle. For such a mammoth announcement, there is nothing to see here.

Remote patrol

• Tipoff for the Bucks-Bulls game Friday night is scheduled for the ridiculous time of 9:05 p.m., thanks to ESPN. It’s the third straight season Bulls fans have been subjected to a local start time typically reserved for West Coast games. Mark Jones, analyst Stephanie White and reporter Katie George have the national call. NBC Sports Chicago will also carry the game.
  
• Illinois football radio analyst Martin O’Donnell stepped down after nine years in the booth. With his young children becoming more involved in activities, O’Donnell’s schedule didn’t mesh with the college football season. Illinois would like to have a replacement named by the spring game April 20, but that’s not a hard deadline.
  
• The IHSA girls basketball state finals will air Saturday on The U (Channels 26.2 and 48.1) live from Normal. Tipoff times are 11 a.m. for Class 1A, 1 p.m. for 2A, 5:30 for 3A and 7:30 for 4A.