Snoop Dogg's Joint Venture with Disney, Warner Bros., and Fox: A Disruptive Force in the Cable TV World

What's the Deal Dogg?

Hey my fellow doggs! It's been a week since Disney Warner Bros. Discovery and Fox joined forces to shake things up in the cable TV world. And let me tell you this new joint venture has got distributors scratching their heads wondering what the heck is gonna happen next. Will they be able to offer the same skinny bundle deal or not? That's the question on everybody's mind.

Skinny Bundles vs. Thick Wallets

Here's the deal my doggs. There's a bundle of linear networks that's gonna be available to consumers this fall and it's got all the sports channels they can handle – ABC ESPN ESPN2 TNT TBS Fox FS1 FS2 and a few others. But the real question is will distributors like Comcast Charter and DirecTV be able to offer the same bundle? If they can no problem. But if they can't well... let's just say there might be some barking going on.

Sports for Some None for Others

Now my doggs here's where it gets interesting. Back in 2023 Charter decided to offer a package without sports channels to lower the cost for folks who just want their news and entertainment fix. That's good news for distributors but bad news for programmers who cash in on all those households that pay for sports but never actually watch them. So it only makes sense for this joint venture to keep the sports bundle exclusive. But will they actually do it? Stay tuned my friends.

Distributors Keepin' It on the DL

So far the big pay TV distributors haven't said much about this new bundle. They're still gathering info trying to figure out what the heck is going on. And hey I get it. Sometimes you just gotta keep things on the down low. But word has it that some distributors are already complaining worried that this skinny bundle might lead to more cancellations. Time will tell my doggs. Time will tell.

Fight for the Remix

Here's where it gets real my doggs. Pay TV distributors have these fancy deals called most favored nation deals. It means that a company like Disney can make a deal with DirecTV that's pretty much the same as their deal with another company like Dish. But here's the catch – if this sports joint venture refuses to give the same terms to distributors things could get ugly. Lawsuits might be flying left and right my friends. It's a remix showdown!

The Winners and Losers

Now let's talk about who's gonna come out on top in this crazy joint venture. Disney Warner Bros. Discovery and Fox rely on these pay TV distributors for a big chunk of their cash. But there could be some winners too. Charter and Comcast might see a boost in their broadband businesses because hey you need some high speed internet to enjoy this digital app. But not everyone's gonna be jumping for joy. DirecTV Dish and YouTube TV might just be in the line of fire losing video subscribers left and right. It's a wild ride my doggs!