Say hello to the Frankensports bundle

Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery are playing together. That's the entire national TV portfolio for the NBA.

Good morning. Let’s basketball.

The Ladies Waldegrave; Joshua Reynolds; 1780

Those of us who pay attention to the machinations of the streaming wars have been waiting for Disney to announce when it would make ESPN, ESPN2 and the zillion other minor ESPN networks available over the air, bundled with ESPN+ … and how much it would cost consumers. That would have been one of the final pieces to fall into place to kill off hardcore NBA fans’ need to subscribe to cable or one of these strikingly cable-like bundles from YouTube TV.

That announcement has happened with a twist: Disney won’t go online on an over-the-top sports streamer. It’s joining forces with Fox and and Warner Bros. Discovery on a joint venture that will offer the ESPN family of networks, the Fox Sports family of networks and the Turner Sports family of networks — including TNT — in a single package. It’ll launch next fall. Prices have not been announced. It sounds like ESPN is still planning to launch a solo streaming service at some point; this will just be another option for fans who need more than just the ESPN family of networks.

This is a seismic shift for the world of sports media rights. While the networks will maintain the exclusive right to broadcast their live sports on cable and within their own streaming services, potentially having a one-stop shop for a particular sport in this new Frankensports app is clutch. The downside for the NBA is if this depresses interest from one of the media company not involved in the joint venture. Does NBC/Comcast or Amazon become less interested in NBA rights if all other NBA rights are soaked up in the Frankensports app? Does it make those outsider new partners less attractive for the NBA, who can otherwise funnel its fans to this new offering? There are some assumptions to be made by people deep in the weeds on this. (Based on everything I’ve read, I do think Amazon is going to grab something, maybe the In-Season Tournament.)

The other piece this doesn’t address is the regional sports network crisis. Many fans interact with the NBA by simply watching their local team. Given that individual teams negotiate those deals, and not all of the major RSN entities are in trouble, that’s going to be trickier to unwind. But it will end up being quite confusing messaging in markets within standalone streaming options for the local team. “Yes, you can cut cable and get a lot of big NBA games (including the playoffs) on the Frankensports app. But you’re going to need a service to watch your local team. Sorry.” That’s a bad message that devalues the biggest chunk of inventory the NBA has.

Full disclosure: I remain a cable TV subscriber who has come close a few times to cutting the cord. The biggest barrier has been access to Kings games.

For the American readers, what do you think of this new offering? Does it change your sports-viewing life in any way?

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The Sixers Will Float, or Sink Trying

The Sixers announced Joel Embiid will be re-evaluated in four weeks after surgery on his meniscus. Given that the Sixers have been remarkably tight-lipped about all of this, and given that doctors and other folks who would have a good sense on these injuries have been saying the two surgical options had dramatically different recovery timelines, it sounds like they went for the minor version here that preserves hope he can play later this season.