• by Wayne Friedman , 5 hours ago

Against the backdrop of a tougher mature streaming TV business, two high-profile brands are bundling their new platforms: big and expensive direct-to-consumer (D2C) service ESPN and Fox One, the all-encompassing Fox content streamer.

Under the joint agreement between Walt Disney and Fox Corp., the bundle will be priced at $39.99 a month, starting October 2.

Both services will be individually available to consumers starting August 21.

Walt Disney has already announced multiple ways for consumers to save on the expensive ESPN service, priced at $29.99/month.

For a limited time during the early promotional period, users can add in Disney+ and Hulu. Currently Disney+ and Hulu is priced at $10.99 a month, with ads -- $19.99 per month without ads. The Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+ Basic bundle is priced at $16.99/month.

The individually priced Fox One is priced at $19.99 a month -- for all Fox branded content, including prime-time entertainment, news, and sports. Adding in the older Fox streaming platform, Fox Nation with Fox One, offers a bundling priced at $24.99.

Fox Corp. executives touted the partnership with ESPN as one that will attract major sports fans offering a broad array of major sports leagues and associations including NFL, NBA, WNBA, MLB, NHL, College Football and Basketball, NASCAR, INDYCAR and UFC, as well as the upcoming FIFA World Cup.

Last year Walt Disney, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery abandoned the joint sports streaming venture of their linear TV networks --- Venu Sports -- after a judge blocked the service with a preliminary injunction against the service, saying Venu was likely to violate antitrust laws.

That service would have been priced at $42.99.