ESPN, Fox, and Warner Decide Not to Launch Venu Sports Streaming Service

Venu Sports was supposed to launch before 2024 ended as the ultimate sports streaming service, with access to all of ESPN’s networks, Fox’s sports properties, and Warner’s TNT affiliates, as well as all of the major sports leagues and championships. This was going to be big, even if the price was going to hurt all of our wallets at $43 per month. As it turns out, our wallets are safe for now because Venu Sports is no longer.

You may recall earlier in the week that Fubo TV and Hulu + Live TV announced an awkward merger of sorts. This move is very much a part of this story, as Fubo was in a legal battle with Venu Sports’ backers (ESPN, Fox, and Warner) over anti-competitive sports licensing stemming from their venture to launch that ultimate streaming service. The Fubo and Hulu merger was a sign that the two had come to some sort of agreement, but I’m not sure anyone saw today’s announcement coming.

In a short statement, ESPN announced that “Venu Sports will be discontinued” and followed with this:

“After careful consideration, we have collectively agreed to discontinue the Venu Sports joint venture and not launch the streaming service. In an ever-changing marketplace, we determined that it was best to meet the evolving demands of sports fans by focusing on existing products and distribution channels. We are proud of the work that has been done on Venu to date and grateful to the Venu staff, whom we will support through this transition period.”

It’s going to be hard not to look at this Fubo merger as one piece of this end, although there was very much still a chance that lawmakers and other competitors (DirecTV) were going to come for Venu as well. Still, this was supposed to be a massive launch and you have to wonder what else happened behind the scenes.

For those looking forward to Venu Sports, you’ll have to move on and continue getting your sports coverage where you currently do.

// ESPN