FuboTV Drops Warner Bros. Discovery Networks

Warner Bros. Discovery’s networks are no longer available on FuboTV, with the sports-first live TV streaming platform accusing the company of abusing its market power.

The platform says that it attempted to renew carriage for a slate of Warner Bros. Discovery networks, including Discovery, HGTV, Food Network and TLC, among others. Fubo maintains it offered market rates for the deal. “Warner Bros. Discovery did not provide any counter offer and insisted on continuing to offer us above-market rates for its content.” The platform says Warner Bros. Discovery’s refusal to “engage in good faith negotiations” reflects an “abuse of massive market power that ultimately limits consumer choice.”

Fubo goes on to note that Warner Bros. Discovery has “denied our customers the choice of subscribing to their Turner sports content separately from Discovery content through a more affordable skinny sports bundle. Yet Warner Bros. Discovery has announced that it plans to make this must-have content available in its forthcoming sports streaming joint venture with The Walt Disney Company and FOX Corp.”

FuboTV has filed an antitrust lawsuit against Warner Bros. Discovery, Disney and FOX over the upcoming sports joint venture. The platform maintains that the practices employed by several vertically integrated media companies “aim to monopolize the market, stifle any form of competition, create higher pricing for subscribers and cheat consumers from deserved choice. Fubo is taking action against these unfair market terms to avoid passing on these extra costs to consumers.”

For its part, Warner Bros. Discovery says it remains open to working with FuboTV. In a statement, Warner Bros. Discovery said: “Our priority is to deliver the best content, at the best value, to our fans wherever they want to watch it. We have been and remain ready and willing to work diligently with Fubo to reach a fair market agreement. We proposed an extension of our current agreement, with no changes or price increases, that would allow Fubo to continue carrying these networks, and it is unfortunate that Fubo has decided to alienate their own customers in this way.”