Venu Sports

The service was expected to function similarly to a virtual MVPD in that it would carry almost all of the three companies' English-language U.S. linear broadcast and cable channels that offer sports content, including local stations and affiliates of the ABC and Fox broadcast networks (subject to the participation of the affiliates' owners); It would have also included access to the content of Disney's existing direct-to-consumer sports service ESPN+. While subscribers would be able to watch any entertainment and news programming that regularly airs on these channels in addition to sports, the service would not carry other channels owned by these companies that are typically included in cable bundles, such as CNN or Fox News. However, in situations where sports broadcasts are carried by the companies' other channels, those channels may be carried temporarily as "pop-up channels", using a concept that is common in Europe but relatively rare in the United States. == Branding ==

The initial announcement indicated the service would have a "new brand", though that brand was not identified immediately. Within the three companies, the project was initially known by the internal code name "Raptor". At one point, the partners were reportedly considering making "Hulu Sports" the official name of the service, which would brand the service as an extension of Hulu (now controlled by Disney) despite having separate management. On May 16, 2024, the service's branding was announced as Venu Sports, or simply Venu. "Venu" is pronounced like "venue" (as in a sports venue). == Distribution ==

Venu was to be available individually through a new bespoke app, or as part of a bundle with Disney+, Hulu, and/or Max. In May 2024, Disney and WBD separately announced plans to launch a bundle of the three latter services, but did not specifically address the possibility of a four-way bundle with Venu. Early reports indicated that the regular price per month would be higher than US$30, and likely at least $45, slotting it between the prices of some standalone regional sports streaming services like NESN 360 (in the $20-$30 range) and larger cable-style vMVPD packages like YouTube TV (which start at around $75). On August 1, 2024, the launch price was announced as being $42.99 per month; this price would be guaranteed for twelve months from the start of a subscription, with no long term commitment required. == Management and staff ==

The service was to be overseen by a separate management team at arms-length from the three partners. Additional executives were announced in June 2024, at which point Venu said there were already 150 executives and software engineers working on the product, the majority of those being Fox employees expected to move to the joint venture once finalized. A placeholder website for the service had likewise been launched in May under Fox ownership, through a subsidiary named Rookie Enterprises LLC. == Regulatory and legal concerns ==

Following the initial announcement, the three companies involved stated that the formation of the joint venture would not affect their respective plans to compete with each other for sports broadcast rights going forward, nor would the joint-venture service seek any exclusive rights of its own. Nonetheless, shortly after the announcement, traditional cable and satellite providers were reportedly reviewing the plans as to whether they may violate most favored nation clauses in existing contracts, unless the providers are allowed to also start offering lower-priced sports-focused packages. Analysts noted that some of these providers had been "begging for the right" to offer cheaper sports packages for years, but were blocked by programmers like Disney, Fox, and WBD, which had insisted that their sports channels be bundled with their other news and entertainment channels. The NFL was not informed about the service in advance of the February 2024 announcement, and shortly thereafter, media outlets reported the league was investigating whether it could block the service from carrying its games. The existing sports-focused vMVPD FuboTV also expressed concerns following the announcement about the venture's impact on "fair market competition". Satellite TV providers DirecTV and Dish Network both filed briefs in support of Fubo's suit in April. A subsequent letter to congressional leaders requesting hearings into the service was co-signed by all three providers as well as groups including the Electronic Frontier Foundation. The United States Department of Justice also stated that it plans to review the terms of the joint venture once it is finalized. Separately, Rep. Jerry Nadler, the ranking member of the United States House Committee on the Judiciary, and Rep. Joaquin Castro submitted a letter to Disney, Fox, and WBD on April 16 seeking answers on the impact the new service would have on competition and pricing. The owners were given two weeks from the letter's date to respond. After receiving the owners' replies, Nadler and Castro sent a second letter on June 7, stating that these answers were "insufficient" regarding concerns about preventing collusion, ensuring consumer privacy, and methods to determine the service's pricing. On August 16, 2024, federal judge Margaret Garnett granted a preliminary injunction against Venu, blocking its launch while the FuboTV antitrust lawsuit continues, stating that the vMVPD is likely to succeed in proving its case that the venture will "substantially lessen competition and restrain trade". On January 6, 2025, Fubo announced it would merge with Disney's Hulu + Live TV vMVPD business, resulting in Disney receiving a 70% stake in the combined company, and that it had settled its litigation with Disney, WBD and Fox related to Venu. However, DirecTV and Dish Network asked Judge Garnett to reconsider dismissing the case, stating that the antitrust issues remained unanswered and that they could still be harmed by Venu's competition. On January 10, Disney, WBD and Fox announced that Venu would not launch, saying, "After careful consideration, we have collectively agreed to discontinue the Venu Sports joint venture and not launch the streaming service." Disney said the following month that it had determined Venu would be "redundant" following the announcement of other skinny sports bundles from DirecTV, Comcast, and Fubo, and that it would instead focus on its planned "flagship" standalone streaming service, which it officially announced in May of that year. Around the same time, Fox announced it would soon launch a direct-to-consumer streaming offering which would include Fox Sports content, later announced as Fox One. For its part, WBD announced that it would continue to bundle TNT Sports content into Max's ad-free tiers, abandoning plans to move its sports offerings into an add-on subscription. ESPN would also announce its "flagship" DTC service that launched in August 2025, the ESPN DTC also offers a bundle with the aforementioned Fox One. ==References==