Discovery branded channels dropped from Fubo
MAY 1, 2024 13.55 EUROPE/LONDON BY JULIAN CLOVER

Fubo says its been unable to renew a carriage agreement with Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) meaning Discovery, HGTV, Food Network and TLC are no longer available from the US streaming service.

Fubo, which focusses on live sports steaming, has been seeking retransmission rights for Turner sports networks TNT, TBS and truTV. Fubo says it offered WBD market rates for its content but the media company continued to offer “above-market rates” for its content.

“Fubo views Warner Brothers Discovery’s [sic] refusal to engage in good faith negotiations as another example of its abuse of massive market power that ultimately limits consumer choice.

“Warner Bros. Discovery’s refusal to offer Fubo standard market terms and packaging flexibility are more examples of the unfair and anti-competitive practices it and other vertically integrated media companies have imposed on Fubo for many years.”

Fubo is currently in dispute with WBD and partners ESPN/Disney and Fox over the launch of a combined streaming service. It argues the combination of the partners various sports interests is anticompetitive.

Broadband TV News has approached Warner Bros. Discovery for comment.