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Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav made his first public comments on the planned sports streaming joint venture with Disney and Fox, which would expand the reach of both companies. , said it would not add to the predicament of cord-cutters.
Zaslav said during WBD's fourth-quarter earnings call that the joint venture partners have “very rich targeting” of the more than 60 million sports fans who are not part of the pay-TV ecosystem. He said, “We will be able to track down the missing people.”
The new service, whose name, price and launch date have not been announced, will be “very modern” and reduce friction in the viewing experience, Zaslav added. “Today, people are thinking, 'What channel should I watch?' What channel is my sports on? Access this new product, this new app-based product, to watch the baseball playoffs. If you do, you'll watch them all, and you won't have to wonder, “What channel is it on?” If it's hockey, Stanley He can watch all the hockey playoffs up to the cup. ”
The Sports Bundle offers a linear stream of 14 combined networks operated by JV partners. “We think it can coexist very effectively” with traditional linear services, Zaslav said. “Not many people are going to unsubscribe from cable TV to watch this.”
“We're pretty far along,” Zaslav said, noting that he had reviewed a prototype of the service.
At another point in the call, the executive reiterated his belief that increased bundling of streaming services is inevitable, especially given the “messy” state of the fragmented landscape. Recently formed with Max and Netflix via Verizon, he said his goal in creating bundles like WBD is to help people find the content they want and make it simpler and more fluid to do so. The goal is to create a simpler, easier, and less anxiety-provoking experience.
While tech giants and large distribution companies are moving toward bundling, content suppliers like WBD could “do it themselves,” Zaslav said. “I have always advocated that we should do it ourselves. …In a way, Sports Ventures is trying to meet that very need. When combined with our products, [Disney and Fox]Deliver a better, more fluid, simpler consumer experience. It's not “What channel is it broadcasting on?” Where should I go? How should I go? do you have? I don't have it? It's in one place. We will be drawn to it more and more. ”
Last year, Max rolled out a live sports tier bearing the company's Bleacher Report brand. When asked what the future holds given the multi-company sports venture, JB Perrette, CEO and president of global streaming and gaming, said the company expects to have “further announcements in the coming months.” . …In the meantime, we remain committed to delivering B/R Sports. ”
