Sports streaming bundle joins crowded field of streaming platforms
Venu Sports, the streaming service formed by Fox, Disney and Warner Bros Discovery, will be priced at $42.99 when it launches in the fall, the company said Thursday.
The media companies announced the service in February to woo younger viewers who don’t have cable or those that have cut the cord, bundling 14 live sports channels with rights to the National Football League, Major League Baseball, the National Hockey League, college sports and the FIFA World Cup.
It’s “a single destination for watching many of the most sought-after games and events,” Venu CEO Pete Distad said in a statement.
The service will include marquee events like NBA Finals, the World Series, the Stanley Cup finals, the College Football Playoffs, March Madness, parts of golfs Masters Tournament, tennis’ grand slam events and two of the next three Super Bowls. It will offer on-demand programs from ESPN+ and the other sports networks’ archives.
In all, Venu will account for more than half of all sports rights, according to a Citi analysis cited by the Wall Street Journal.
The price tag may seem high to those who already have subscriptions to streaming services like Peacock, Paramount, Prime Video or Apple TV, which all have a variety of live sports content.
Still, Venu is significantly cheaper than cable’s cost of more than $100 a month or the $73 a month for a YouTube TV subscription, though both of those options offer sports programming from NBC and CBS that carry prized NFL games.
Venu will have a seven-day free trial when it launches. Customers who sign up at the initial price point will be able to continue streaming for 12 months at that price.
Distad, a former Apple executive, said the service is aiming for 5 million subscribers in the first five years.
“We’re building Venu from the ground up for fans who want seamless access to watch the sports they love, and we will launch at a compelling price point that will appeal to the cord cutter and cord never fans currently not served by existing pay TV packages,” Distad said.
It will be available directly through a new app and subscribers can opt to bundle the service with Disney+, Hulu or Max.
Fox and the The Post’s parent, News Corp, share common ownership.
