Fubo no longer carries Food Network, HGTV, TCL, and 16 other Discovery channels. The streamer blames this loss on Warner Bros. Discovery, which allegedly refused to “engage in good faith negotiations” during a licensing renewal.
All variations of the Discovery Channel (Life, Family, etc) have been removed from Fubo. Animal Planet, American Heroes, Cooking Channel, Destination America, the DIY channel, Food Network, HGTV, Investigation, Motor Trend, OWN, the Science channel, TLC, and the Travel channel are also gone.
In a statement shared to the press, Fubo claims that it “attempted to renew” its Discovery content agreement at a fair market rate. However, “Warner Brothers Discovery did not provide any counteroffer, and insisted on continuing to offer us above-market rates for its content.” Fubo also failed to secure a license for Turner sports network channels (TNT, TBS, truTV) during these negotiations—Turner channels haven’t been carried by Fubo since 2020.
The streamer went on to accuse Warner Bros. Discovery of “limiting consumer choice” through its “abuse of massive market power.” This rhetoric isn’t new for Fubo, which recently sued Disney, FOX, Warner Bros. Discovery, and their affiliates for “stymying Fubo’s sports-first streaming service by engaging in anti-competitive practices.” Fubo claims that these corporations have monopolized the sports media market through strategic mergers, overpriced licensing deals, and a soon-to-launch sports streaming platform that combines Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery properties.
It’s unclear whether this litigation had any impact on Fubo’s negotiations with Warner Bros. Discovery. But in a statement to Deadline, Warner Bros. Discovery argues that it “proposed an extension of our current agreement, with no changes or price increases, that would allow Fubo to continue carrying these networks.” Fubo simply decided to stop paying the “above-market rates” that it’s endured for the last few years.
As is always the case in these matters, the customer is the loser. Neither Fubo nor Warner Bros. Discovery will take responsibility for their failed negotiations, and each party has accused the other of intentionally harming customers.
I’d also like to point out how streaming companies weaponize their pricing to gain support from customers. Fubo claims that an expensive Discovery agreement would “create higher pricing for customers.” But Fubo was already paying “above-market rates” for Discovery content—why would an extension to this contract lead to a price hike? And if that’s how streamers determine their pricing, shouldn’t Fubo customers get a discount after the removal of 19 overpriced Discovery channels?
Source: Fubo
