Pete Distad to head Disney, Fox & WBD joint sports streamer

Apple and Hulu alum, Pete Distad, has been appointed as the CEO of the Disney, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) jointly planned sports streamer.

Pete Distad (Source: ESPN)

The industry veteran who most recently served as an executive at Apple for a decade following six years at Hulu, will head the yet to be launched joint venture.

The unnamed sports platform formed by Disney’s ESPN, Fox and WBD is expected to debut in the autumn.

The streaming powerhouse will host a range content from major sport leagues and competitions, including NFL, NBA, WNBA, MLB, NHL, PGA Tour, PGA Championship, The Masters, Wimbledon, US Open, Australian Open, UFC, Formula 1, Nascar, FIFA World Cup, LaLiga and Bundesliga. It will also provide users access to linear sports channels such as TNT Sports, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, ABC, FOX, FS1, FS2, truTV and ESPN+.

At Apple, Distad first joined the company in 2013 where he was responsible for the business, operations and global distribution for video, sports and Apple TV+, up until last year. During his 10-year term he oversaw the launch and scale of the Apple TV app, Apple TV+, and MLS Season Pass.

The chief also joined Hulu in 2007 serving as senior vice president of marketing and distribution on the executive team. He was part of the original Hulu launch team, overseeing customer acquisition and retention, distribution and marketing.

The joint project which was announced last month, is under scrutiny by US Department of Justice, following concerns it could negatively impact consumers, sports leagues and rivals.

Rival sports streamer Fubo have also filed a lawsuit over the the trio’s plans that it said was a “duel to the death”, with claims it will destroy competition and inflate prices for consumers.

“This is an incredible opportunity to build and grow a differentiated product that will serve passionate sports fans in the US outside of the traditional pay TV bundle,” Distad said. “I’m excited to be able to pull together the industry-leading sports content portfolios from these three companies to deliver a new best-in-class service.”

ESPN, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery added the following joint statement: “Pete is an accomplished innovator and leader who has extensive experience with launching and growing new video services. We are confident he and his team will build an extremely compelling, fan-focused product for our target market.”

Upon establishment of the JV, Distad will report to its board of directors, which will include representatives selected by each of the three companies. He will be based at the to-be-established offices of the joint venture in Los Angeles, US, along with the independent management team he will assemble.