DirecTV launches sports subscription with NFL, other big leagues

DirecTV is launching a sports streaming service featuring NFL games and other major sports leagues in a deal for programming from 40 channels owned by Walt Disney Co., Fox Corp., Comcast Corp.’s NBCUniversal and others. MySports will be available starting Tuesday in 24 U.S. metro areas including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia and San Francisco, with more markets expected, the pay-TV provider said. The price will be $70 a month after a three-month promotion at $50. The price puts MySports about $10 below more general cable-TV-like packages offered by other online providers, including YouTube TV at $83 a month and Fubo at $80. MySports is the first of several genre-specific services DirecTV will release in the coming months, including options centered on entertainment and kids and family. Ad Age Tech Power List 2025 We’re looking for top digital innovators from agencies, brands, platforms, ad tech companies and tech startups Enter here “It comes down to providing the consumer with a bit more choice and flexibility around the content that they subscribe to,” Vince Torres, chief marketing officer for DirecTV, said in an interview. The other packages will be cheaper, since “sports content is a bit pricey.” The service will be available through the DirecTV app on mobile devices and on platforms such as Roku, Amazon Fire and Apple TV. MySports includes Disney’s ESPN, the Fox Sports channels, the TNT network from Warner Bros. Discovery Inc., the Golf Channel and Big Ten Network. It will also have local TV stations from ABC, Fox and NBC, and the network sports they offer, giving the service NFL, NBA and MLB games. DirecTV is in early discussions with CBS about getting its content, Torres said. Customers will also be able to watch DirecTV’s MyFree ad-supported channels, like Pickleball TV and Surfer TV. The company plans to add more channels and local stations soon, as well as Disney’s ESPN+ sports streaming service. Last week, Disney, Fox and Warner Bros. scrapped plans for Venu Sports, a similar streaming product. Their joint venture sparked an antitrust lawsuit from FuboTV Inc., and in August a federal judge blocked the service from launching, ruling it would let the three companies. “exercise near-monopolistic control” over other live-sports-only streaming packages. Just days earlier, Disney agreed to merge its Hulu + Live TV streaming service with Fubo and settle the litigation over Venu. The move prompted DirecTV and rival satellite-TV provider EchoStar Corp. to write letters to the court arguing that Venu was still anti-competitive. More media companies are expected to offer skinny streaming subscriptions that leverage the popularity of live sports and appeal to cord-cutters no longer interested in traditional cable or satellite TV subscriptions. Disney plans to launch a standalone, streaming version of its ESPN network later this year. —Bloomberg News NextGen Marketing Summit Join us for a crash course on Gen Z, DTC marketing and the creator economy Register today

DirecTV launches sports subscription with NFL, other big leagues

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