ESPN, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery to launch joint sports streaming platform

MisterPenguinJan 10, 2025

https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/venu-canceled-disney-fox-warner-bros-discovery-1236271592/

Disney IrishJan 10, 2025

Sort of makes sense after the Fubo merger. Disney will be going it alone on that front.

Hawkeye_2018Jan 10, 2025

Oh that sucks

DCBakerJan 10, 2025

ESPN, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery have decided not to move forward with Venu Sports: “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.” https://espnpressroom.com/us/press-releases/2025/01/venu-sports-will-be-discontinued/

MisterPenguinJan 10, 2025

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/directv-dish-venu-launch-1236105328/

MisterPenguinJan 08, 2025

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/disney-fubo-deal-surprise-wall-street-analysts-1236102937/

MisterPenguinJan 06, 2025

https://deadline.com/2025/01/tubi-2024-million-monthly-users-billion-streaming-hours-fox-1236246111/ https://deadline.com/2025/01/disney-live-event-advertising-espn-1236246110/

Disney IrishJan 06, 2025

I sort of suspect that Fubo also has been looking for a buyer anyways as they've been going up against the likes of Youtube Live and Sling and getting killed. And Venu would have killed them off, hence the lawsuit. So it was a win/win for both.

BrianLoJan 06, 2025

This has gotten absolutely no play based on this threads length, because it's mostly a matter of sports and this forum really doesn't identify with that portion of the company by and large. But this is a super interesting development all around. I kind of wondered how they were going to navigate around this lawsuit and buying out the company (for relative peanuts) honestly seems like a good idea compared to the lawyer fees. It's kind of bemusing and a let's throw money at them situation to the extreme. 😂 It also smartly keeps the company at arms length from going more into linear.

BrianLoJan 06, 2025

Especially because Fubo is a brand in Canada and Hulu still is not. I think more likely Hulu becomes the US adult streaming content "brand label" and Fubo becomes the SVOD service. Hulu Live is squeezed out of identity as it's kind of confusing for the consumer otherwise. I anticipate the ability to subscribe to Hulu separately from D+ goes away this year (next Fall's price hike) once the deal is settled. You may still be able to add D+ sans Hulu for another year or two.

Disney IrishJan 06, 2025

In my vision back in 2019 when this all started and we started talking about the future of the service, when I was predicting the eventual merger, parental controls, and such, it was that Hulu would be rebranded to Star. We'll see what happens....

MisterPenguinJan 06, 2025

Possibly... On one hand, the future of linear live "TV" is going to be sports, because almost all other entertainment (besides newscasts) is just recorded content to be played on demand. So, with Hulu+Live being merged with Fubo, there may not be a need to keep the Hulu brand. And, similarly, with Hulu+ (without "Live") being part of Disney+, it may not need a separate branding. On the other hand, "Hulu+" (along with Star+ internationally) may be a way that Disney can wall off adult fare from children's fare. Or, they can keep the walled garden and rebrand Hulu as Star. Or vice versa.

Disney IrishJan 06, 2025

I wonder if this will be the long term final nail in the Hulu branding coffin. I know it says that "Hulu" would continue to be used, but I can't help but feel this is the next step on the eventual end of the Hulu name.

MisterPenguinJan 06, 2025

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/disney-hulu-live-tv-with-fubo-1236100636/ Disney to Merge Hulu + Live TV With Fubo, Taking on YouTube TV and Ending Venu Lawsuit The deal will create a streaming multichannel video service that is second only to YouTube in scale, while potentially allowing the Venu service to move forward. The Walt Disney Co. will merge its streaming multichannel video service Hulu With Live TV with its competitor Fubo in a surprise deal that will shake up the streaming TV business, the companies said Monday. The new company will continue to be traded publicly under the Fubo name, however, Disney will control 70 percent and appoint a majority of the board. Fubo management, including co-founder and CEO David Gandler, will run the combined venture. The deal will do a couple of big things if and when it is completed (execs say it could take 12-18 months): For starters, it will create a much bigger player in the virtual multichannel video provider (vMVPD) space, one that can more aggressively take on the market leader YouTube TV. YouTube TV said a year ago that it had 8 million subscribers, while Hulu + Live TV had 4.6 million subscribers and Fubo had 1.6 million subscribers, giving a combined offering 6.2 million subs. On a conference call Monday morning, Gandler said that the combined venture will be “well positioned to fairly compete with our peers.” After the deal closes, the company will continue to offer both Hulu + Live TV and Fubo under distinct brands, with Hulu continuing to be available in the larger Disney bundle. Fubo will negotiate carriage deals on behalf of the services, independent from Disney. Notably, the deal will also end Fubo’s legal action against the Venu sports streaming service, potentially allowing it to proceed. Venu is the skinny streaming bundle that includes Disney’s ESPN channels and ABC, Fox and Fox Sports 1, and the sports channels from Warner Bros. Discovery. Fubo sued and secured an injunction pending the trial, putting the service on ice for the entire NFL season. According to the companies, Disney, Fox and WBD will pay Fubo $220 million, with Disney also providing a $145 million term loan through 2026. Fubo would also receive a $130 million termination fee if the deal fails to close under certain circumstances. Fubo will also sign a new distribution deal with Disney, allowing it to offer a less expensive bundle build around ESPN and ABC, something close in design to what Venu was offering. Gandler says it will allow Fubo “to deliver flexible, innovative and competitive content packages to consumers, particularly around sports.” A source says that launching Venu is still the plan, though Disney is laser focused on its ESPN flagship streaming product launching later this year. The settlement will pave the way for a bunch of different options for consumers to get ESPN at varying price points. The deal does not include the core Hulu SVOD service, and is focused only on the vMVPD offering. Gandler says that the Hulu and Fubo products could be distinct. “One of the most important things is we are now stewards of an iconic brand, with respect to Hulu,” Gandler said on the call. “The Hulu live product, as you know, is embedded into Hulu SVOD, and so that gives us a lot of value with respect to maintaining retention. And so I think having two separate platforms today, obviously, it’s not ideal. We believe that there are synergies on the backend in areas like broadcasting and transmission, CDN, etcetera, but at the moment, I think we want to really focus on providing consumers with choice, and the Hulu product is really focused on providing a full entertainment bundle of sports news and entertainment, and Fubo will continue to focus on its sports-first service, with the ability to launch skinnier sports bundles.” Bloomberg first reported news of the talks.