Fubo parodies Disney+ ad in protest against Disney-Fox-Warner Bros joint streaming venture

Fubo filed an antitrust lawsuit against the organizations in New York federal court last month over the media titans’ intention to launch a joint sports streaming venture. Announced in early February and slated to roll out later this year, the initiative will join ESPN, Fox Sports, ABC, TBS and TNT, in addition to other sports content, under one umbrella, to be offered as a single, bundled service.

Fubo, which specializes in live sports streaming, contends that the endeavor not only pilfers its playbook but also signifies an unlawful attempt to sabotage its growth and monopolize the sports-focused streaming sector.

The new ad campaign, dubbed #SaveMySports, takes aim at The Walt Disney Company in particular, parodying a Disney+ ad campaign that debuted at Super Bowl LVIII that spotlighted iconic movie quotes in pared-down, simple typeface.

Splashed across billboards in high-traffic locations in Washington, DC – including outside the Capital One Arena, the Nationals Park baseball stadium and inside Union Station – Fubo has repurposed quotes from well-known movies to underscore how Disney’s joint sports streaming venture with Fox and Warner Bros could harm consumers.

A two-sided billboard crowning Mission, a popular Mexican restaurant in DC’s Navy Yard, features a quote from the 1989 baseball movie Major League: “Juuuust a bit outside the laws meant to protect fans.” The other side reads: “Remember, the Titans are trying to screw you” – a nod to Disney’s 2000 sports dramedy Remember the Titans. Beneath each quote is a simple hashtag: #SaveMySports.

The campaign is supported by a dedicated microsite, savemysports.com, where Fubo’s co-founder and chief executive David Gandler spells out his concerns with the proposed joint venture and urges fans to signal their opposition by posting on X or calling their representatives.

For fans, Gandler argues in his note, the joint venture would harm choice, limit innovation and lead to higher prices for sports streaming.

As he puts it: “Right now, we can’t offer you a bundle of just the sports channels you want at the right price. These content partners require us to license and broadcast to you channels you do not want. This inflates the price we have to charge you. So, the joint venture might sound like a solution. But ... a marketplace that offers only one sports-focused package of channels is monopolistic. And a monopoly can charge whatever rates it wants because there will be no competition – no competition to keep prices low to attract customers. Monopolies also don’t need to keep coming up with innovative and intuitive product features to make the sports streaming experience the best it can be.”

The campaign launches today in Washington, DC, where Fubo hopes it will attract the eyes of government officials and lawmakers. These decision-makers may be evaluating the lawsuit and considering how to regulate competition in the streaming market.

“Fubo believes the partners of the sports streaming joint venture … have engaged in anticompetitive behavior that has stifled competition and caused harm to Fubo and consumers for many years,” the company said in a statement shared with The Drum. “We believe that the joint venture is seeking to create a monopoly and push out all competition.”

Per its complaint, Fubo is seeking an injunction against the new joint venture or significant restrictions on the deal, such as an agreement of economic parity of licensing terms and financial damages to be paid to Fubo.

For more, sign up for The Drum’s daily newsletter here.