In February, FuboTV filed an antitrust lawsuit in an effort to block a planned sports streaming service by Fox, ESPN, and Warner Bros. Discovery. In the lawsuit, Fubo alleges that past bundling practices forced the service to offer unwanted channels alongside sports content, raising costs for Fubo and its customers. However, legal and sports professionals, including Constangy senior counsel Chris Deubert, are skeptical about the lawsuit's prospects.
Chris recently spoke to Awful Announcing on the lawsuit and its chances of success for Fubo. "The antitrust laws are concerned with whether there’s a pro-competitive justification for a combination among what might be competitors," Chris said. "And the media companies involved here have a pretty good response, which is, they’re literally creating a new product for which there is...pretty good demand."
While the Justice Department will likely look at the lawsuit, its primary concern is preventing ventures that are anti-consumer. "It’s a win for consumers, which is primarily what the antitrust laws are concerned with. It’s another option, no one has to buy it, it shouldn’t negatively affect their pricing, the amount of our cable bill or anything else? I’m struggling to see where it would be bad."
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With over twelve years of diverse legal experience spanning law firms, in-house roles, and academia, Chris brings a wealth of expertise in sports law, litigation, and labor and employment matters. He has previously served as a solo practitioner, catering primarily to clients within the sports industry, ranging from professional sports teams and athletes to sports agents and marketing agencies. His practice encompasses a broad spectrum of legal areas, including employment litigation, corporate governance, intellectual property, transactional matters, and sports betting, among others.