Apple veteran to lead new sports streaming venture
Pete Distad, who served as a senior executive for Apple Inc.’s TV business, has been chosen to lead the new sports streaming service being launched by Fox Corp., Walt Disney Co. and Warner Bros. Discovery Inc.
Distad, who worked for almost 10 years at Apple following a stint at Hulu, will assume oversight of all aspects of the joint venture, including overall strategy, distribution, marketing, sales and more, according to a statement Friday.
Fox, ESPN and Warner Bros. Discovery are putting their sports properties under one streaming platform. How much will you pay and will it be worth it?
The new sports streaming venture, which doesn’t yet have a name, was announced in February by the partners. It will offer sports content from networks like ESPN and TNT, including college and professional football, the NBA and the college basketball finals, for a combined price that’s less than a standard cable TV package.
The service is aimed at attracting younger sports fans who don’t currently pay for cable or satellite TV. The partners plan to launch in the fall. Regulators at the U.S. Justice Department have been looking at the partnership to see if it creates any anticompetitive issues.
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