• by Wayne Friedman , May 17, 2024

The big streaming sports venture from Walt Disney (ESPN) -Warner Bros. Discovery-Fox Corp. now has a name: Venu Sports.

The proposed sports streaming service (pronounced “venue”) will pool all current sports programming -- including sports channels, many under the ESPN brand name. 

Pricing, advertising, and other details were not disclosed in the operations press release. Pete Distad, CEO of Venu Sports, said, the platform  is “where sports fans outside of the traditional pay TV ecosystem can experience an incredible collection of live sports, all in one place.

Given live sports' programming value in producing strong viewership on TV and streaming channels -- supported by major advertising dollars -- the platform was created to pull in a broad range of pay subscribers through consumers’ more desirable “bundled” programming, according to analysts.

Industry estimates put the monthly subscription cost at around $45 to $50 a month. 

The companies say the new service is subject to regulatory approval and the finalization of definitive agreements among the parties.

Venu Sports is slated to launch in the fall of 2024, and like other direct-to-consumer (D2C) streaming platforms, will be made available directly to consumers via a new app. 

Subscribers would also have the ability to bundle the product, including with Disney+, Hulu or Max.