The streaming sports bundle Venu has settled on a price, though the launch date is still TBD.
Venu, a joint venture of Disney, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery, will be available at a launch price of $42.99 per month. Users who subscribe at that price will be locked in for 12 months, and can cancel at any time. There will also be a 7-day free trial.
The service will include access to a number of live, linear channels including ESPN, Fox, ABC, TNT and TBS. Venu will also include access to ESPN+.
The streaming bundle is still targeting a fall launch date (the company had been targeting a launch ahead of regular season NFL games). While it is targeting “sports fans outside the traditional pay TV bundle,” Venu will also have access to some entertainment programming via many of its channels.
“With an impressive portfolio of sports programming, Venu will provide sports fans in the U.S. with a single destination for watching many of the most sought-after games and events,” said Pete Distad, CEO of the upcoming Venu Sports service. “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.”
Venu plans to package its sports programming (both live and on-demand) around three “pillars”: Live games and events, studio shows and pre- and post-game coverage, and library content like sports docs.
Between them, Disney, Fox and WBD have rights that include the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL, as well as plenty of college sports, pro tennis and more. That being said, the bundle does not include CBS Sports or NBC Sports, leaving many NFL and college games off the service. And the NBA’s new deals with NBC and Amazon mean that after next season WBD will lose rights, costing Venu about half its pro basketball games, though TNT Sports is suing the league to try and stop that.
Disney, Fox and WBD announced their streaming tie-up back in February, though a definitive agreement is yet to be signed. The name, Venu, followed in May.
