Broadcasting sporting events on a standalone basis will not be cheap.
Venu, a streaming service backed by Disney, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery and built around the three companies’ sports offerings, will start at an initial price of $42.99 per month. The service is expected to launch in the fall, coinciding with the start of the next NFL season.
“With an impressive lineup of sports programming, Venu will provide sports fans in the U.S. with a single destination to watch many of the most popular games and events,” said Pete Destad, CEO of the new outlet, in a statement. “We are building Venu from the ground up for fans who want seamless access to the sports they love, and we will launch at an attractive price point that will appeal to cable and non-cable fans who are not currently served by their current pay TV packages.”
Venu represents a bet by the three media companies that they can build a thriving business on the idea that a segment of younger consumers — those who don’t subscribe to traditional cable or satellite services — will find value in a broadband gateway that provides access to a large portion of the sports available through traditional media. Venu plans to polish the sports offerings of 14 different television networks as well as a library of documentaries and other programming from the archives of ESPN, Fox Sports and others.
Venu subscribers will have access to linear sports networks, including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SECN, ACCN, ESPNEWS, ABC, FOX, FS1, FS2, BTN, TNT, TBS, truTV, as well as ESPN+.
The total price tag has long been expected to be more than what consumers pay for a standalone regional sports network, which costs $20 to $30 a month, and less than a larger digital programming bundle like Hulu + Live TV or YouTube TV, which costs $75 to $80 a month.
The companies will offer a free seven-day trial for those who sign up for the service. Customers will get a guarantee of the initial monthly price for a year from the time of signup, with the ability to cancel at any time.
The three companies have been working on building out the location technology and consumer experience in recent months, but Venu’s launch is still subject to regulatory approvals and final agreements between the parties. The companies envision the service being available via an app, but they also expect it to be bundled with packages that could include Disney+, Hulu or Max.
The service is priced at $42.99 per month for the service, with a seven-day free trial. Anyone who signs up for the Venu launch price will receive the service at the same price for 12 months from the time of sign-up, with the ability to cancel at any time. Venu is targeting sports fans outside of a traditional pay-TV package, and is scheduled to launch in the US in the fall and will offer thousands of live sports events from all major professional sports leagues and major college conferences. The streaming service will provide access to 14 live sports channels and an expanding library of on-demand content from the company’s collective portfolios of sports networks and ESPN+. “With an incredible lineup of sports programming, Venu will provide sports fans in the US with a single destination to watch many of the most in-demand games and events,” said Pete Destad, CEO of the upcoming Venu Sports service. “We’re building Venu from the ground up for fans who want seamless access to the sports they love, and we’re launching at an attractive price that will appeal to cable-free and never-cable fans who are currently underserved by current pay-TV packages.”
