Disney, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery have named their upcoming sports streaming joint venture Venu Sports. Stadiums, arenas, speedways, octagons, courts, rinks, ballparks, and other locations where fans congregate to watch and engage with the action serve as the inspiration for the name. During TV week, the media behemoths unveiled the Venu Sports brand, which is the moniker of their joint upcoming sports streamer, with assistance from creative partners at R/GA. CEO Pete Distad revealed the company’s name and logo.
The product, dubbed cord nevers because it is intended for households without access to traditional cable bundles and is scheduled to launch this fall, will be sold directly to customers through a new app. Fox, Disney, and WBD will each hold a third of the business, be equally represented on the board, and grant the joint venture a non-exclusive license to use their sports content. It will include content from the ABC network, as well as the NFL, NBA, WNBA, MLB, NHL, NASCAR, College Sports, UFC, PGA TOUR Golf, Grand Slam Tennis, the FIFA World Cup, cycling, and much more. The linear networks ESPN, ESPN+, ESPN2, ESPNU, SECN, ACCN, ESPNEWS, FOX, FS1, FS2, BTN, TNT, TBS, and TruTV will all be included.
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The Venu Sports logo takes a different approach, embracing a navy blue that is one of the most recognizable uniform colors in sports and an offsetting orange that should feel familiar to any fan of the Denver Broncos, Auburn, Illinois, or Syracuse. Disney, Fox, and WBD’s sports logos already rely heavily on bold colors (lots of primary reds and blues) and block lettering. The typeface features the curves of a road race and the tilt of a runner in stride.
Primarily announced in February, Venu Sports brought on former Apple executive Distad in March, concurrently with lawmakers voicing antitrust worries regarding the service’s effects. However, media companies recognize the benefits of consolidating multiple sports properties under one roof, particularly during NewFronts and upfronts, as live sports continue to draw larger audiences and the sports broadcast landscape becomes more fragmented with regard to ad buyers. The ESPN, Fox, and WBD sports networks’ portfolios along with ESPN+—which offers programming from all major professional sports leagues and collegiate sports—would be combined to form Venu Sports. As part of the branding announcement, Venu Sports unveiled its website and announced a tentative fall 2024 launch date.
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Additionally, subscribers will be able to combine the product with Disney+, Hulu, or Max, among other services. Prices and further details regarding the launch schedule will be disclosed later. According to analyst estimates, the JV’s monthly pricing could range from $35 to $50. TheWrap was previously informed by a person close to the project that the price would be less than YouTube TV’s $72.99 base plan each month.
The action is being taken in an attempt to reach viewers who have been steadily drifting away from cable TV, as Disney and other media companies have been doing more and more in the streaming market. Warner Bros. Discovery and The Walt Disney Co. recently revealed that they will be launching a new bundle service this summer that will combine Warner Bros.’ Max app with Disney’s Hulu and Disney+ streaming services.
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