MUMBAI: The ambitious Venu Sports streaming service, a joint venture between Disney, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery, will not be launching after all. The only launch - if you can call it that - it is having is - out of the window. The decision comes despite earlier indications that the project was moving forward, following the resolution of a lawsuit with Fubo.
Venu had promised to shake up the sports streaming landscape by combining content from major networks like ESPN, ABC, TNT, and Fox into a single platform for $42.99 per month. However, persistent legal and market pressures ultimately derailed the effort.
On Thursday, DirecTV and EchoStar signaled the possibility of their own lawsuits against Venu, citing unresolved antitrust concerns that were central to Fubo’s earlier legal challenge. By Friday, Disney, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery announced that they were drawing the curtains on the project in a joint statement:
“After careful consideration, we have collectively agreed to discontinue the Venu Sports joint venture and not launch the streaming service. In an ever-changing marketplace, we determined that it was best to meet the evolving demands of sports fans by focusing on existing products and distribution channels. We are proud of the work that has been done on Venu to date and grateful to the Venu staff, whom we will support through this transition period.”
DirecTV, in its own statement, added: “We look forward to working with our programming partners — including Disney, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery — to compete on a level playing field to deliver sports fans more choice, control, and value all-in-one experience.”
Venu was first announced nearly a year ago and was slated to launch last fall. However, a judge halted the rollout after Fubo filed an antitrust lawsuit, claiming the service would unfairly dominate the sports streaming market
The service aimed to consolidate premium sports content from its parent companies' linear TV networks, offering fans an all-in-one experience. It had even appointed former Apple executive Pete Distad as CEO to lead the charge.
While Venu has been shelved, Disney is still moving ahead with its plans to launch a standalone ESPN streaming service, currently referred to as “ESPN Flagship,” by the end of the summer. Analysts speculate that Fox may eventually license its sports content for inclusion on the new platform.
This pivot underscores the complexities of navigating legal challenges and evolving consumer expectations in the highly competitive sports streaming market. For now, fans will have to rely on existing platforms to access their favorite sports content.
(The visual for this story has been generated using Microsoft Designer. No copyright infringement is intended. It is just a depiction of the fate of Venu Sports with the three main partners aborting the venture. And there is no attempt to cause any injury or damage to the reputation of either Fox, Disney or Warner Bros Discovery or to hurt anyone's sentiments. In short, there is no malafide intent and no malice is intended either.)
