It was announced this morning that Fubo and Hulu + Live TV are getting combined into a single business. Once the dust has settled, Disney will be the majority owner while leading it will be the existing Fubo management team. And to ensure this doesn’t get buried anywhere, both services will continue to be available to consumers as separate offerings.
This is all being done in the name of “consumer choice through more flexible programming offerings,” which is always what’s said right before they raise prices. We’ve seen it time and time again at this point.
As part of the announcement, Fubo is to create a new Sports & Broadcasting service, featuring Disney’s premier sports and broadcast networks. This should mean good news for Fubo customers, but we really won’t know how any of this is affecting customers until everything is approved and finalized which could take some time.
Fubo co-founder and CEO David Gandler, who will now run the entire show, had the following to say in the press release.
We are thrilled to collaborate with Disney to create a consumer-first streaming company that combines the strengths of the Fubo and Hulu + Live TV brands. This combination enables us to deliver on our promise to provide consumers with greater choice and flexibility. Additionally, this agreement allows us to scale effectively, strengthens Fubo’s balance sheet and positions us for positive cash flow. It’s a win for consumers, our shareholders, and the entire streaming industry.
Sorry, but pretty much anytime there’s a win for shareholders, consumers can’t also be the winners. For right now, nothing with pricing or the services is changing. I’d enjoy that while it’s the case.
// Fubo