Fubo is now suing Disney, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery over their new sports streaming service. The three companies announced their plan to launch a combined sports service earlier this month.
While the idea of a combined service does appeal to sports fans, not everyone is a fan. In particular, Fubo was very quick to issue a statement that raised concerns over how the service would work and the impact it would have on the market as a whole.
After having some time to digest the news, it now looks like Fubo is taking the situation even more seriously. As reported by The Walt Street Journal and CNBC, Fubo is now attempting to block the launch of the streaming service after filing a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
While the lawsuit has not been made public yet, WSJ claims to have seen a copy, and Fubo is alleging that it was prohibited from carrying “a small bundle of sports-focused channels.” As to be expected, the very same channels that are now set to be included in the sports streaming service.
The companies are using “their power over commercially critical sports content to force Fubo to broadcast unwanted, expensive content that prevents Fubo from offering the sports-centric package of channels that its customers want,” WSJ reports the suit as stating.
The lawsuit also reportedly makes the case that the launch of the new streaming service will incentivize the companies to not make their content available to third-party providers, such as Fubo, in the future.
For reference, the lawsuit won’t be the only hurdle the new sports service faces, as it was previously reported that the Department of Justice also plans to take a closer look at the deal, once it is finalized.
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