The streaming landscape for sports has become quite complicated, and Venu Sports exemplifies this challenge. The anticipated streaming bundle from Disney, FOX, and Warner Bros was set to debut last fall but has now been scrapped before its launch.
Venu Sports Ends Before Its Debut
The three key players behind Venu Sports—Disney, FOX, and Warner Bros. Discovery—issued a joint announcement today confirming the cancellation of the streaming service.
Here’s the official statement:
After thorough evaluation, we have collectively decided to terminate the Venu Sports joint venture and will not launch the streaming service. Given the continually shifting marketplace, we’ve concluded it’s more beneficial to adapt to the evolving preferences of sports fans by concentrating on current products and distribution methods. We take pride in the effort put into Venu thus far and extend our gratitude to the staff, whom we will support through this transition.
This unexpected development comes on the heels of recent Venu-related news from earlier this week.
On Monday, Disney and Fubo announced plans to merge two of their businesses, which consequently led to the resolution of the existing Fubo lawsuit.
The Venu Sports platform was originally aimed to launch last fall with a subscription price of $42.99, designed as a comprehensive sports bundle incorporating the extensive sports rights owned by the three partner companies.
However, Fubo raised concerns regarding anti-competitive practices, which effectively halted the launch.
DMN’s Perspective
I had assumed, like many others, that the recent deal between Disney and Fubo signaled an imminent launch for Venu.
Now, it appears that Venu Sports has been abandoned before even getting a chance to thrive.
In some respects, this decision makes sense, especially with Disney poised to introduce its new ESPN streaming service this fall. Yet, the cancellation serves as a striking reminder of the challenges businesses face when transitioning sports to the streaming platform.
What are your thoughts on Venu Sports’ cancellation? Were you considering a subscription? Share your views in the comments.
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