The proposed Disney-Fox-WBD sports-focused streaming venture has been branded as Venu Sports. The service is set to launch sometime this fall, but pricing has yet to be revealed.
Disney, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) are still finalizing their sports streaming joint venture, but the trio of media giants has landed on a name for it: Venu Sports.
The unveiling of the brand and logo emerges as Disney, Fox and WBD make plans to launch the sports-focused streaming service sometime this fall. Introduced in February, the multichannel offering will feature 14 networks (ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, SECN, ACCN, ESPNEWS, Fox, FS1, FS2, Big Ten Network, TNT, TBS and truTV) and ESPN+, the premium streaming service that sells today for $10.99 per month as a standalone.
A launch date and pricing for Venu (pronounced as "venue") has not been announced, though analysts expect it to sell in the neighborhood of $35 per month.
Venu Sports will be sold directly to consumers via a new app. Subs will also have the option to bundle Venu Sports with Disney+, Hulu or Max.
In a statement, Venu Sports CEO Pete Distad reiterated that the offering will look to target sports fans that fall outside the traditional pay-TV ecosystem.
"As preparations for the platform continue to accelerate, we are singularly focused on delivering a best-in-class product for our target audience, built from the ground up using the latest technologies to engage and entertain discerning sports fans wanting one-stop access to live games," Distad said.
JV still being finalized
The Venu Sports brand surfaces as Disney, Fox and WBD continue to hammer out a final agreement for the proposed joint venture. The new Venu Sports website notes the service's launch "is conditional on receiving regulatory approval and is expected for Fall 2024."
The proposed joint venture has taken some heat ever since it was introduced about three months ago.
Fubo, a sports-focused streaming pay-TV service, filed an antitrust lawsuit in February, alleging that the JV could harm competition and raise consumer prices. Fubo recently dropped several WBD channels, including Discovery, HGTV, Food Network and TLC, amid a carriage dispute. Fubo said it has also sought to gain rights to WBD's Turner networks with sports programming (TNT, TBS and truTV), but added that those efforts have fallen short.
The US Department of Justice reportedly plans to review the JV to determine its potential harm on consumers, other media companies and sports leagues. Meanwhile, a pair of US government representatives have called on the CEOs of the members of the JV – Disney's Bob Iger, Fox's Lachlan Murdoch and WBD's David Zaslav – to answer a long list of questions about the venture.
Murdoch recently suggested that the new sports streaming service could reach 5 million subs in its first five years.
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