Disney Close to Merging Hulu + Live TV with Fubo for Venu Launch

In an exciting turn of events for streaming fans, Disney and Fubo are joining forces, merging their services and opening the path for Venu, the much anticipated new venture from Disney, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery. This merger, which was publicly announced recently and is awaiting regulatory approval, means that Disney’s Hulu + Live TV will be combined with Fubo to create a fresh business entity. The majority, 70%, of the new venture will be owned by Disney. It’s important to note that this deal does not involve Hulu’s on-demand streaming service. This development was first reported by Bloomberg.

What does this consolidation mean for the streaming landscape? Well, it effectively takes the number of major streaming MVPDs down from five to four. The new service will find itself in competition with YouTube TV, DIRECTV STREAM, and Sling. Notably, Dish, the parent company of Sling, and DIRECTV were on the verge of merging their streaming services last year.

As part of the merger agreement, Fubo will withdraw its legal opposition against Venu, the sports-focused streaming service being formed by Disney, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery. Fubo’s legal action was based on antitrust concerns and successfully led to an initial injunction against the launch of Venu. The argument was that Venu’s status as a specialized sports streamer allowing for lower prices was due to the three owners imposing their non-negotiable offering of low-rated non-sports channels on other services.

According to Reuters, Disney, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery plan to challenge the injunction in an appeals court this Monday. Venu was first planned to be unveiled in advance of the football season last year, but that timeline looks unlikely at this point. However, there are many significant events coming up where Venu could make a splash, from the College Football Playoff National Championship to the Super Bowl, which would be offered on the service given it’s a FOX broadcast.

Exciting times are ahead for fans of streaming entertainment and sports with this latest development. Stay tuned for more news about Venu and the evolving streaming landscape.