ESPN, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery Ready to Launch Venu Sports with a Monthly Fee of $42.99

The upcoming standalone sports streaming service Venu Sports from ESPN, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery will cost $42.99 per month after a seven-day free trial. This price lock-in is valid for a year, and subscribers can cancel anytime. The service, expected to launch this fall, targets cord-cutters and cord-nevers, offering 14 live sports channels and on-demand programs from ESPN+ and archives of other sports networks.

"With an impressive portfolio of sports programming, [Venu Sports] will provide sports fans in the U.S. with a single destination for watching many of the most sought-after games and events," said Venu Sports CEO Pete Distad.

Sports and Channels Included:

• Major leagues: MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, WNBA, MLS, and NWSL
• International and U.S. men's and women's soccer
• College sports: NCAA football and basketball
• Motor sports: NASCAR and Formula 1
• Grand Slam tennis, golf, boxing, MMA
• Horse racing's Triple Crown events, cycling, Premiere Lacrosse League, and Major League Rugby
• Channels: ABC, ESPN networks (incl. ESPN+), Fox networks, ACC Network, SEC Network, Big Ten Network, TNT, TBS, and truTV

Challenges and Exclusions:

Venu Sports does not include NFL games on CBS or NBC, and faces competition from other streaming services with NFL broadcasts. It is unlikely to feature the Olympics, and will have limited NBA coverage from 2025-2026 due to a deal with Amazon, ESPN, and NBC. Warner Bros. Discovery is suing the NBA over broadcasting rights. The emergence of various streaming options makes it challenging for viewers to choose the right subscription.

"The needle [Venu Sports] has to thread: Find people who will pay $43 a month for lots of sports but not all of the NFL – but who don't want to pay $73 a month for all sports and all of the NFL," said Peter Kafka, chief correspondent for Business Insider.