Fubo Sues The Walt Disney Company, FOX Corp., Warner Bros. Discovery and Affiliates for Antitrust Practices - Seite 2

The Defendants have locked arms to remove further competition, according to Fubo’s complaint. Each Defendant is a media conglomerate that owns critical sports content and, according to the complaint, has individually engaged in anti-competitive behavior against Fubo resulting in harm to consumers. Together, the Defendants control more than half of the U.S. sports rights market.¹ By combining to license their must-have sports content on a standalone basis to their own joint venture, other distributors, including Fubo, would be at an extreme competitive disadvantage to the detriment of millions of U.S. consumers, according to the complaint.

David Gandler, Co-founder and CEO, Fubo commented:

“Each of these companies has consistently engaged in anticompetitive practices that aim to monopolize the market, stifle any form of competition, create higher pricing for subscribers and cheat consumers from deserved choice. By joining together to exclusively reserve the rights to distribute a specialized live sports package, we believe these corporations are erecting insurmountable barriers that will effectively block any new competitors from entering the market. This strategy ensures that consumers desiring a dedicated sports channel lineup are left with no alternative but to subscribe to the Defendants’ joint venture.

“We have previously collaborated with each of these companies so that we could offer ‘must-have’ sports content to Fubo customers. For many years, they have challenged our business at every opportunity through pernicious practices. While other new competitors were prevented from entering the market, Fubo has continuously fought back. The Defendants’ unconscionable practices have impacted our ability to grow and have deprived consumers of a compelling and competitively-priced product.

“Simply put, this sports cartel blocked our playbook for many years and now they are effectively stealing it for themselves.

“Silence is no longer an option. The fact that live sporting events dominated television viewership in 2023, with 97 of the top 100 broadcasts, highlights the critical importance of sports in entertainment and the necessity for its broad dissemination. Reports that the Department of Justice intends to look into the joint venture are encouraging, and it evidences the potential negative and widespread impact this alliance will have.