Disney, Warner Bros. and Fox Scrap Joint Streaming Service Venu Sports
Disney, Warner Bros. and Fox will no longer move forward with a joint venture that would have seen the creation of a new sports streaming service named Venu Sports (pronounced like “venue”).
“After careful consideration, we have collectively agreed to discontinue the Venu Sports joint venture and not launch the streaming service,” ESPN, Fox and WBD said in a joint statement Friday. “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.”
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The sports-centric platform was first announced last February, and would have given subscribers access to ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SECN, ACCN, ESPNEWS, ABC, Fox, FS1, FS2, BTN, TNT, TBS, truTV and ESPN+. That would let subscribers watch live NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL games, along with MMA fights, NASCAR races and many more events. It was initially set to launch last fall, and would have cost subscribers $42.99 per month. Shortly thereafter, Fubo filed a federal antitrust lawsuit against Disney, Fox and WBD, alleging that the companies had engaged in a campaign to block Fubo’s “sports-first” streaming business.
Earlier this month, Disney announced a different joint venture that would combine its Hulu + Live TV service with Fubo. As part of the deal, all litigation between the companies had been settled, with Fubo dropping its antitrust lawsuit against Venu. What’s more, Fubo will be allowed to create its own Sports & Broadcast service featuring Disney’s sports and broadcast networks including ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SECN, ACCN, ESPNEWS, as well as ESPN+.
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