DirecTV, Dish Network Raise Antitrust Concerns Over Venu Sports
MT Newswires
10 Jan
DISH.jpg -Shutterstock
Satellite television companies DirecTV and EchoStar's (SATS) Dish Network raised antitrust concerns about Venu Sports days after FuboTV (FUBO) settled its case against the proposed sports streaming platform and agreed to merge with Walt Disney (DIS).
In a letter filed with Federal Judge Margaret Garnett, who granted FuboTV an injunction against Venu Sports in August, DirecTV on Thursday said the settlement "does nothing to resolve the underlying antitrust violations at issue."
Instead, it restores an "anticompetitive runway" for ESPN, Fox (FOX, FOXA) and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) to "control the future of the live pay TV market," according to the letter. DirecTV is owned by AT&T (T) and TPG Capital.
DirecTV said it was joining EchoStar's request filed in a separate letter earlier this week that the federal court "preserve its legal and factual findings," given the public interest at stake. Dish said in its own letter filed Tuesday that it was "evaluating its options regarding the joint venture, its harm to competition, and the defendant's tying practices."
Both DirecTV and Dish filed declarations of support last summer in FuboTV's case against Venu Sports. On Monday, Disney announced that it was merging its Hulu + Live TV business with FuboTV in a deal that will give the media and entertainment giant a 70% stake in Fubo and settle the Venu Sports litigation.
Disney, Fox and Warner Bros. agreed to pay a total of $220 million to Fubo as part of the settlement, according to the joint statement from Disney and Fubo. Disney will also provide a $145 million term loan to Fubo in 2026.
Disney expects to enter into a new carriage agreement that enables Fubo to launch its own sports and broadcast service featuring Disney's sports broadcasting assets, including ABC and a variety of ESPN channels.
The three Venu Sports venture companies didn't immediately respond to requests for comment from MT Newswires. Earlier this week, a Fox spokesperson said the company planned to "move forward" with Venu Sports.
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