Fox to Launch New Stand-Alone Streaming Service in 2025 With Live Sports & Fox News

Fox Corporation has announced its intention to launch a new subscription-based streaming service by the end of 2025. This strategic move underscores Fox’s growing recognition of the imperative to expand its audience beyond traditional cable television. The forthcoming service will provide an extensive library of Fox’s content, encompassing sports and news programming, such as live Sunday afternoon NFL games and popular shows like “Jesse Watters Primetime.”

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During today’s earnings call, Fox Corp. CEO Lachlan Murdoch emphasized the company’s strategic focus on targeting a distinct demographic—non-subscribers to traditional pay-TV services. While acknowledging the value of the traditional cable bundle, Murdoch underscored the increasing significance of reaching a substantial portion of the population beyond its reach. He stated, “We perceive the traditional cable bundle as still the most valuable for our consumers and the company, but we also recognize the growing prominence of reaching a significant segment of the population outside the cable bundle.”

This new venture complements Fox’s existing streaming portfolio, which comprises Tubi, a free, ad-supported platform targeting younger audiences with a diverse range of programming, and Fox Nation, a subscription-based service catering to Fox News viewers with news content, lifestyle programming, and documentaries. Tubi will receive a substantial boost later this week by streaming Super Bowl LIX, a departure from previous years when the Super Bowl was streamed on Fox Sports’ digital platforms.

The recent collapse of Venu, a planned joint venture between Fox, Disney, and Warner Bros. Discovery, appears to have influenced Fox’s decision to launch a stand-alone streaming service. Venu’s objective was to consolidate the sports programming of the three companies, but legal challenges ultimately derailed the project. This setback has prompted each company to pursue its own streaming strategy. Fox has been particularly cautious about making its valuable sports rights, such as NFL, MLB, and LIV Golf games, available on streaming platforms. Instead, it prioritizes the lucrative revenue streams generated by linear television.

Murdoch indicated that the new streaming service will have modest expectations and will not involve significant investment in new content or rights. Instead, it will focus on packaging existing content and existing brands, keeping costs relatively low. This suggests that Fox will leverage its existing library of sports and news programming rather than creating original content specifically for the platform. This approach differs from the strategy of some other media companies that have invested heavily in original streaming content.

The launch of this new service raises questions about potential overlap with Fox’s existing streaming offerings. Tubi caters to a younger demographic with a broad range of entertainment, while Fox Nation focuses on news and opinion content. The new service will encompass both sports and news, potentially competing with both existing platforms. However, Murdoch’s emphasis on reaching an audience outside the traditional cable ecosystem suggests that Fox believes there’s a significant market for a bundled offering of its core programming.

The success of this new venture remains uncertain. Fox’s cautious approach, focusing on existing content and keeping costs low, indicates a measured approach to the streaming market. The company appears to be testing the waters, seeking to expand its reach without disrupting its established linear business model. The performance of this new service will be closely monitored as an indicator of the evolving media landscape and the future of sports and news consumption.