It’s been more than three months since ESPN, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery announced their plans for a joint streaming service and details regarding the product have thus far remained sparse.
That, however, changed on Thursday, with the companies announcing that their upcoming streamer will be known as Venu Sports.
“We are excited to officially introduce Venu Sports, a brand that we feel captures the spirit of an all-new streaming home where sports fans outside of the traditional pay TV eco-system can experience an incredible collection of live sports, all in one place,” Pete Distad, who was previously announced as the product’s CEO, said in a release. “As preparations for the platform continue to accelerate, we are singularly focused on delivering a best-in-class product for our target audience, built from the ground up using the latest technologies to engage and entertain discerning sports fans wanting one-stop access to live games.”
According to the release, Venu (pronounced “Venue”) remains on track to be launched this fall and “will bring together the companies’ portfolios of sports networks and certain direct to consumer services in a compelling new streaming sports service to allow underserved fans to get the most out of every game.” Subscribers will also have the ability to bundle the product with Disney+, Hulu or Max.
The release also adds that Venu will “aggregate content to offer fans an extensive, dynamic lineup of sports content to serve sports fans, particularly those outside of the traditional pay TV bundle.”
Welcome, Venu Sports!
Today, the ESPN, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery joint venture streaming sports service unveiled the new brand identity for the highly anticipated platform
More: https://t.co/LuWJ3Ufp0r pic.twitter.com/FAOSNwbMGT
— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) May 16, 2024
At this point, several questions still remain, including the price of the product, the NFL’s reported concerns, Fubo’s antitrust lawsuit and what WBD will be bringing to the table if it loses its piece of the NBA rights package. But if nothing else, we now have a name (and pronunciation guide) for the new product, as well as timeframe for its release.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.