New platform to offer full Fox TV slate
Fox Corp. announced it will launch Fox One, its new direct-to-consumer streaming service, on August 21. The debut is strategically timed just before the NFL regular season begins in early September. Fox One will cost $19.99 per month, while current pay TV subscribers will receive free access.
The platform will feature the entire Fox TV portfolio, including live broadcasts of NFL and MLB games, college football, and programming from Fox News and Fox Business. However, the service will not include exclusive or original content, setting it apart from rival offerings from competitors like Disney or Paramount.
Modest expectations, strategic positioning
CEO Lachlan Murdoch emphasized during the company’s earnings call that Fox One has “modest” subscriber expectations. He noted that Fox will not invest in new streaming rights or original programming, and that the main costs for Fox One will stem from overhead, marketing, and technology infrastructure.
Murdoch reiterated that Fox’s intention is not to disrupt the existing pay TV ecosystem. The pricing strategy was designed to be “healthy,” not discounted, as a way to preserve the value of traditional cable bundles, which have experienced consistent subscriber losses.
Bundling and competitive landscape
Fox is exploring opportunities to bundle Fox One with other streaming services but aims to remain focused on a targeted segment — mainly viewers without a current pay TV subscription. Murdoch acknowledged the tension between offering convenient bundles and maintaining a narrow audience focus. The company wants to balance both without accelerating the decline of the pay TV model.
Fox One’s launch comes just ahead of Disney’s full-service ESPN direct-to-consumer app, expected to cost $29.99 a month. ESPN+ is already in the market, but Disney’s new product will represent a more robust standalone offering.
Strong financials support digital shift
Fox reported $3.29 billion in revenue for the most recent quarter, a 6% increase year over year. Advertising revenue also climbed 7%, bolstered by higher Tubi performance and improved pricing for news content. The growth comes despite an overall weak ad market and a lack of major soccer tournaments compared to last year’s figures.
Fox’s lean portfolio — focused on sports and news after divesting entertainment assets to Disney in 2019 — has made the company less vulnerable to cord-cutting trends than many of its peers. With Fox One, the media giant is taking a cautious but calculated step into the paid streaming market, leveraging its strengths in live content and brand loyalty.
