Earlier this year, ESPN, Fox, and Warner announced that they were teaming up to provide the ultimate in sports streaming service called Venu Sports. The plan, they said, was to have at least 15 networks for you to choose from, with coverage of all major US professional sports, as well as FIFA World Cup, college sports, tennis, golf, and more. It sounded great, but we were concerned about the potential for a wild price.
Today, Venu Sports confirmed pricing and it is quite high with the opportunity for the price to increase shortly after launch.
Venu Sports “will be available at a launch price of $42.99 per month for the service, with a seven-day free trial.” You read that correctly – Venu Sports costs $42.99/month at launch. Venu followed up that pricing note by saying that “Anyone signing up for Venu’s launch price will be able to receive the service for that same price for 12-months from time of sign-up.” I hate to read to deeply into these things, but that sure sounds like $42.99 is only a promotional launch price and that we should expect it to go up soon. We’ll see where it lands in a year.
As for whether or not $42.99 is worth it, here’s what you get for that price:
- 14 networks and ESPN+: ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SECN, ACCN, ESPNEWS, ABC, FOX, FS1, FS2, BTN, TNT, TBS, and truTV as well as ESPN+
- All the sports leagues: On those networks, you’ll see events from the “NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, WNBA, NCAA Division I football and basketball, U.S. and international soccer, combat sports, Grand Slam tennis, championship golf, INDYCAR, NASCAR and F1 auto racing, and more”
- Major championships: Of course, having those networks and sports leagues means access to their championships, like the Super Bowl, World Series, College Football Playoffs, NBA Finals, The Masters, FIFA World Cup, MLS playoffs, and a whole lot more that I don’t feel like typing out
- Blackouts: Yes, there will apparently be blackouts, which is insane. Imagine paying $42.99/mo for a service and not even getting select broadcasts, likely of your local team that you really want to watch
Venu Sports expect to launch in the fall of this year (2024).
// Venu Sports