While Fubo may no longer have any concerns about the anticompetitive nature of Venu Sports, DirecTV and Dish’s parent, EchoStar, still do. So much so that the two companies have reiterated their position, claiming the launch of Venu Sports would be bad for business, and bad for the industry as a whole.
In letters to the federal judge overseeing the case, DirecTV and EchoStar raised concerns that the joint venture between Disney, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery is still likely to impact competition. In explaining this point, the companies argued that Venu Sports is set to offer content that others, including DirecTV and Dish, can’t.
Although Fubo was the most vocal in terms of raising antitrust concerns, and it was Fubo’s legal challenge that blocked the sports streaming service from launching, that changed earlier this week when Disney and Fubo announced a deal which will see Fubo TV and Hulu Live TV coming together under a new business owned by both.
As part of that deal, Fubo dropped its complaint against Venu Sports and this was expected to lead the way for the sports service to launch.
With the door seemingly open for Venu Sports, DirecTV and EchoStar have sent their individual letters as an attempt to remind the federal court that Fubo wasn’t the only business that could potentially be affected by the launch of Venu Sports.
The letters argue that any deal between Disney and Fubo shouldn’t automatically result in dismissal of the previously raised antitrust concerns. In DirecTV’s own words, “defendants cannot purchase their way out of the antitrust violations.“
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