Jessica Cassano-Antonellis is leaving SiriusXM to join the new sports streaming company between Disney, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery as head of communications.
Casano-Antonellis, head of communications for Disney’s streaming division, will join the as-yet-unnamed joint venture on Monday, May 6, as senior vice president of communications. Disney, Fox, and WBD announced their partnership in February, positioning the new streaming bundle as follows: It’s a way to reach consumers who don’t subscribe to pay TV. It is scheduled to debut this fall.
Pricing and specific launch dates for the service have not yet been announced, but ESPN+ and the three linear TV networks that broadcast sports programming (ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SECN, ACCN, ESPNews, Fox, FS1, FS2, Big Ten Network, TNT, TBS, truTV). Some geeks are calling the venture “Spulu,” a combination of “sports” and “Hulu,” but it was originally created as a joint venture between television broadcasters.
Casano-Antonellis will report to Peter Distad, CEO of the joint venture and former Apple TV+ executive.
“Jessica’s extensive experience in the direct-to-consumer streaming space makes her a perfect fit for this role,” Dystad said in a statement. “Her track record of navigating complex global launches and leading transformational stories for high-profile brands has established her as a trusted advisor as we embark on this exciting journey. doing.”
“I’m honored to join Pete at this stage in the joint venture’s development and to be a part of building something that will delight sports fans,” said Casano-Antonellis. I can’t wait to get to work.”
Casano-Antonellis has the perfect job for her. Not only did she have to juggle the interests of her three parent companies, but the Disney, Fox, and WBD ventures quickly became controversial and litigious. The Justice Department reportedly plans to review the three-way business for anti-competitive effects, and last month two leading Democratic members of Congress said the joint venture would be “a poor choice for consumers.” “This could result in higher prices and unfair licensing conditions for upstream and downstream sports leagues.” Video streamer. ”
Additionally, Internet TV provider Fubo has filed a federal lawsuit seeking to block the joint venture’s launch, alleging that the venture violates antitrust laws. On Thursday (May 2), Fubo, DirecTV, Dish Network, Newsmax and others sent a letter to lawmakers calling for a hearing on the state of competition in the pay-TV market, specifically criticizing the Disney-Fox-WBD joint venture. As “Rays”[ing] There are serious competition concerns that require immediate parliamentary oversight. ”
Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch said the company expects its sports streaming business to reach 5 million subscribers in five years, adding that the sports streaming business will grow beyond its current pay-TV base. He argued that this would be an opportunity to reach consumers.
Mr. Casano-Antonellis was SVP and Head of Communications at satellite radio and audio streamer SiriusXM, and joined the company in May 2022. She previously spent more than four years at Disney, where she led PR for Disney+ and Hulu as Vice President of Communications for Disney Streaming. . Casano-Antonellis joined Disney in 2017 following its acquisition of BAMTech Media, where she served as vice president of communications. Prior to that, she led global communications for video sharing platform Vimeo, where she worked for nearly a decade at PR agency Text100 (now Archetype).
