Fox intends to debut a direct-to-consumer streaming service in the current year
Fox Corporation is set to launch a new direct-to-consumer (DTC) streaming service, named Fox One, ahead of the 2025 football season, likely in fall 2025. This comprehensive platform will bring together a wide range of Fox Corporation’s content under one app, including the local Fox broadcast network, FS1 (Fox Sports 1), Big Ten Network, Fox News Channel, and Fox Nation (Fox News’ streaming subscription service).
The streaming service aims to cater primarily to cord-cutters and those who have never subscribed to traditional cable, providing an alternative way to access Fox’s broad portfolio of channels. Fox Corp. plans to price Fox One aligned with the wholesale value of its channels, indicating a competitive subscription rate relative to traditional pay TV bundles.
In a strategic move, Fox intends to form partnerships with other distributors and services to broaden the reach of Fox One, making it available through multiple platforms or bundled offerings. The inclusion of Fox News Channel and Fox Nation is significant because it consolidates Fox’s news brand and its streaming subscription under the same umbrella, giving subscribers integrated access to live news coverage and on-demand Fox News programming, plus Fox Nation’s exclusive content.
Fox Corp.'s Chairman, Rupert Murdoch, emphasised that this approach would put Fox in the best position for broad reach. Murdoch stated that the DTC service is part of a larger strategy to ensure maximum distribution of Fox's content. He also mentioned that no exclusive rights costs or additional incremental rights costs are expected for the new service.
Murdoch further highlighted that the DTC service would include a holistic package of Fox's sports, news, and other content. The strategy includes driving engagement with consumers across traditional linear platforms, cable distribution, digital MVPDs, and the Fox DTC service. The Fox DTC service may include the cable-distributed Fox News Channel, subscription streamer Fox Nation, and pay TV-distributed sports channels such as FS1 and Big Ten Network.
Fox does not intend to churn traditional distribution customers into D2C customers. Instead, the goal is to reach the broadest audience, including cord-cutters and cord-nevers, by targeting them across various platforms. Murdoch mentioned that three distributors have announced new skinny packages recently, and expects this trend to continue.
Details about the Fox DTC service are currently sparse, with Fox Corp. planning to provide more details about the new service in the coming weeks and months. The company targets a launch of the new service by the end of this calendar year. Subscriber expectations for the new service will be modest, and it will be priced accordingly, ensuring an affordable option for consumers seeking cord-free, all-in-one access to Fox content.
- Fox One, the upcoming direct-to-consumer (DTC) streaming service from Fox Corporation, will provide 8k video streaming technology, catering to cord-cutters and those who have never subscribed to traditional cable.
- The digital content on Fox One will encompass a wide range of Fox Corporation’s media holdings, including the local Fox broadcast network, FS1 (Fox Sports 1), Big Ten Network, Fox News Channel, and Fox Nation, making it an all-inclusive media platform.
- The technology behind Fox One will allow for integration with other distributors and services, enabling media consumers to access the service through multiple platforms or bundled offerings.
- Fox Corporation's Chairman, Rupert Murdoch, revealed that the DTC service is part of a larger strategy to ensure maximum distribution of Fox's content, without incurring exclusive rights costs or additional incremental rights costs.
- With its competitive subscription rate relative to traditional pay TV bundles, Fox One aims to attract a broad audience, including cord-cutters and cord-nevers, while maintaining a connection with traditional distribution customers.
