Venu Sports [Lancement en 2025 ?]

ESPN, Fox et Warner Bros. Discovery lanceront cette année une plateforme commune de streaming sportif.

ESPN, Fox et Warner Bros. Discovery prévoit de lancer un service commun de streaming sportif cet automne, offrant ainsi aux consommateurs une nouvelle façon d'accéder à des sports de renom en direct.

La nouvelle plateforme spécialement conçue pour les amateurs de sports, qui appartiendra à une société nouvellement créée avec sa propre équipe de direction, n'a pas encore de nom ni de prix. The Walt Disney Company, Fox et Warner Bros. Discovery détiendront chacun un tiers des parts.

Les consommateurs pourraient souscrire un abonnement directement via une nouvelle application.

Les abonnés auraient également la possibilité de regrouper le produit avec les plateformes de streaming  Disney+, Hulu et Max.

La plateforme comprendrait tous les réseaux de diffusion et de câble appartenant à Disney, Fox et Warner Bros. Discovery qui diffusent des sports, ainsi qu'ESPN+.

Cela inclut ESPN et ses réseaux frères, tels que ESPN2, ESPNU, SECN, ACCN, ESPNEWS, ainsi que le réseau de diffusion ABC. Les réseaux de Warner Bros. Discovery qui présentent le sport sont TNT, TBS et TruTV. Fox inclura la station de diffusion Fox ainsi que FS1, FS2 et BTN.

L'offre des sports proposés serait très large avec la NFL, la NBA, la WNBA, la MLB, la NHL, la NASCAR, les sports universitaires, l'UFC, le golf du PGA TOUR, le tennis du Grand Chelem, la Coupe du monde de la FIFA, le cyclisme et bien plus encore.

Les trois concurrents espèrent former ce service commun à une époque où les coûts des droits médiatiques sportifs augmentent alors que les téléspectateurs abandonnent le visionnage par câble traditionnel.

Le lancement de cette nouvelle plateforme n'empêchera pas ESPN d'offrir un produit complet de streaming directement au consommateur à la fin de l'année ou l'année prochaine.

Citation :

Bob Iger, Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company said, “The launch of this new streaming sports service is a significant moment for Disney and ESPN, a major win for sports fans, and an important step forward for the media business. This means the full suite of ESPN channels will be available to consumers alongside the sports programming of other industry leaders as part of a differentiated sports-centric service. I’m grateful to Jimmy Pitaro and the team at ESPN, who are at the forefront of innovating on behalf of consumers to create new offerings with more choice and greater value.”

Lachlan Murdoch, Executive Chair and Chief Executive Officer of FOX said, “We’re pumped to bring the FOX Sports portfolio to this new and exciting platform. We believe the service will provide passionate fans outside of the traditional bundle an array of amazing sports content all in one place.”

David Zaslav, Chief Executive Officer of Warner Bros. Discovery, said “At WBD, our ambition is always to connect our leading content and brands with as many viewers as possible, and this exciting joint venture and the unparalleled combination of marquee sports rights and access to the greatest sporting events in the world allows us to do just that. This new sports service exemplifies our ability as an industry to drive innovation and provide consumers with more choice, enjoyment and value and we’re thrilled to deliver it to sports fans.”

ESPN - 6 février 2024.

Pete Distad, un leader expérimenté dans les domaines des médias, du sport et de la technologie, a été nommé PDG du nouveau service de streaming sportif – une coentreprise formée par ESPN, FOX et Warner Bros.

Petr Distad, qui a récemment occupé le poste de cadre chez Apple pendant une décennie après six années chez Hulu, assumera la supervision de tous les aspects de la coentreprise, y compris la stratégie globale, la distribution, le marketing, les ventes et bien plus encore.

Citation :

Pete Distad Named CEO of New Sports Streaming Service

Pete Distad, an experienced leader in media, sports and technology, has been named CEO of the new sports streaming service – a joint venture formed by ESPN, FOX and Warner Bros. Discovery. Distad, who most recently served as an executive at Apple for a decade following six years at Hulu, will assume oversight of all aspects of the joint venture, including overall strategy, distribution, marketing, sales and more.

Distad worked at Apple from 2013-2023, where he was responsible for the business, operations and global distribution for Video, Sports and Apple TV+. While there, he launched the new Apple TV in 2015, and later led teams that launched and scaled the Apple TV app, Apple TV+, and MLS Season Pass. He originally joined the company to lead product marketing for the Apple TV hardware product.

His Hulu experience (2007-2013) included serving as Senior Vice President of Marketing and Distribution on the executive team. He was part of the original Hulu launch team, overseeing customer acquisition and retention, distribution and marketing.

Prior to Hulu, Distad worked in various technology and management consulting roles, including at McKinsey & Company, Calence (now Insight) and Andersen Consulting (now Accenture).

“This is an incredible opportunity to build and grow a differentiated product that will serve passionate sports fans in the US outside of the traditional pay TV bundle,” Distad said. “I’m excited to be able to pull together the industry-leading sports content portfolios from these three companies to deliver a new best-in-class service.”

ESPN, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery added the following joint statement: “Pete is an accomplished innovator and leader who has extensive experience with launching and growing new video services. We are confident he and his team will build an extremely compelling, fan-focused product for our target market.”

Upon establishment of the JV, Distad will report to its board of directors, which will include representatives selected by each of the three companies. He will be based at the to-be-established offices of the joint venture in Los Angeles, along with the independent management team he will assemble.

Sports streaming service from ESPN, FOX and XBF

The innovative new platform, announced in february, will bring together the companies’ portfolios of sports networks and certain of their direct-to-consumer (DTC) sports services – including content from all the major professional sports leagues and college sports. The formation of the pay service is subject to the negotiation of definitive agreements amongst the parties.

The sports streaming offering, scheduled to launch in the fall of 2024, will be made available directly to consumers via a new app. Subscribers would also have the ability to bundle the product, including with Disney+, Hulu and/or Max.

The platform would aggregate content to offer fans an extensive, dynamic lineup of sports content, aiming to provide a new and differentiated experience to serve sports fans, particularly those outside of the traditional pay TV bundle.

By subscribing to this focused, all-in-one premier sports service, fans would have access to the linear sports networks including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SECN, ACCN, ESPNEWS, ABC, FOX, FS1, FS2, BTN, TNT, TBS, truTV, as well as ESPN+.

The Walt Disney Company - 15 mars 2024. 

https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/pete-distad-ceo-sports-streaming-disney-fox-wbd/?fbclid=IwAR0qmARVcj8iteKalCfW6Qkg9SvgbeBBSOlCpKtdhbFsiUGblDwHRpKMRJQ

La plateforme s'appelera Venu Sports et intègrera le contenu d'ESPN+ ainsi que les programmes sportifs des chaînes linéraires ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SECN, ACCN, ESPNews, Fox, FS1, FS2, Big Ten Network, TNT, TBS et truTV.

J'avoue qu'avec tout ça, j'ai un peu du mal à imaginer que ça ne fonctionne pas. Tout va dépendre du prix, bien sûr, mais c'est une porte ouverte à l'abandon du câble pour de nombreux Américains qui ne le gardaient que pour ESPN.

Venu Sports compose ses équipes :

Variety a écrit:

Venu Sports Sets Senior Management Team, More Than 150 Execs, Engineers Working on Launch of Disney, WBD, Fox’s Streamer

Key senior hires include chief business officer Tim Connolly, CTO Skarpi Hedinsson and CMO Brian Borkowski

Venu Sports, the sports-streaming joint venture of Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery and Fox Corp., has rounded out the senior management team under CEO Pete Distad.

At this point, Venu Sports says more than 150 engineers and executives are working toward the launch of the service, which is pegged for a fall 2024 debut. A rep clarified that the majority of those are currently Fox Corp. employees, some of whom are expected to join Venu.

Key senior hires announced Tuesday include chief business officer Tim Connolly (formerly with Apple TV+ and Hulu), CTO Skarpi Hedinsson (previously with the L.A. Rams and Disney/ABC Television Group) and CMO Brian Borkowski (former FanDuel and Hulu exec).

https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/venu-sports-headcount-senior-executiveds-disney-wbd-fox-venture-1236041342/

Variety a écrit:

Disney, Fox and WBD’s Venu Sports Streaming JV Taps Ex-Apple Exec Tony Billetter as SVP of Strategy and Planning

Tony Billetter, formerly Apple’s head of worldwide business strategy and planning for video and sports, has taken on a similar role at Venu Sports, the recently formed joint venture of Disney, Fox Corp. and Warner Bros. Discovery.

With the move, Billetter rejoins Pete Distad, CEO of Venu, who had previously overseen Apple TV+’s business, operations and global distribution and worked at the tech giant for a decade.

Billetter worked at Apple since December 2017 before leaving to start at L.A.-based Venu last month, according to his LinkedIn profile. A rep for Venu Sports confirmed Billetter’s hire. Prior to Apple, Billetter worked at Disney for more than 10 years, where his roles included director of strategic planning for Walt Disney Studios. He holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from San Francisco State University and an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management.

https://variety.com/2024/digital/news/venu-sports-hires-tony-billetter-apple-1236015514/

Le service de streaming Venu Sports sera lancé au prix de 42,99 $ par mois.

Variety a écrit:

Disney, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery’s Sports Streamer Venu to Launch at $42.99 per Month

Streaming sports on a stand-alone basis won’t be cheap.

Venu, the streaming joint venture backed by Disney, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery and built around the sports offerings of all three companies, will launch with an initial price tag of $42.99 per month. The service is expected to debut in the fall in conjunction with the start of the next NFL season.

“With an impressive portfolio of sports programming, Venu will provide sports fans in the U.S. with a single destination for watching many of the most sought-after games and events,” said Pete Distad, CEO of the new outlet, in a statement. “We’re building Venu from the ground up for fans who want seamless access to watch the sports they love, and we will launch at a compelling price point that will appeal to the cord cutter and cord never fans currently not served by existing pay TV packages.”

https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/venu-launch-42-99-per-month-disney-fox-warner-bros-discovery-1236092585/

Petit contre-temps ou grosse épine dans le pied de Venu Sports ?

Le service de streaming sportif FuboTV, qui pâtirait énormément de l'arivée de Venu Sports sur le marché, tente de bloquer ce dernier en passant par les tribunaux.

En février 2024, FuboTV a intenté une action en justice antitrust contre The Walt Disney Company, Fox et Warner Bros. Discovery.

Ce vendredi 16 août, la juge de district Margaret Garnett du tribunal fédéral de Manhattan a interdit aux trois sociétés de lancer Venu Sports arguant que le nouveau service réduirait considérablement la concurrence et restreindrait les activités commerciales de l'entreprise concurrente.

The Walt Disney Company, Fox et Warner Bros. Discovery ne sont évidemment pas du même avis et font appel de la décision du tribunal.

Lors de sa création en 2015, FuboTV comptait parmi ses actionnaires... The Walt Disney Company, avant d'être racheté en 2020 et d'être par la suite introduite en bourse.

FuboTV a conclu des accords avec plusieurs réseaux afin d'apporter du contenu à son service de streaming, et ce incluant Disney Media Networks pour amener des programmes provenant des réseaux ESPN (ainsi que des réseaux ABC et de Disney Channel).

FuboTV avait un accord similaire avec Warner Bros. Discovery qui été dénoncé en avril dernier (et les programmes résultants de cet accord ont été retiré de FuboTV dans la foulée).

Affaire à suivre...

Variety a écrit:

Judge Bars Disney, Warner, Fox From Launching Sports Streamer Venu

Venu, the much-discussed streaming sports joint venture backed by Disney, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery has been blocked from its goal.

U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett in federal court in Manhattan barred the three companies on Friday from launching Venu, deciding that the FuboTV sports streaming service would likely prevail on claims that the new broadband entity would “substantially lessen competition and restrain trade.” Fubo launched in 2015 as a start-up focused on streaming sports programming.

“We respectfully disagree with the court’s ruling and are appealing it,” Disney, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery said in a statement. “We believe that Fubo’s arguments are wrong on the facts and the law, and that Fubo has failed to prove it is legally entitled to a preliminary injunction. Venu Sports is a pro-competitive option that aims to enhance consumer choice by reaching a segment of viewers who currently are not served by existing subscription options.”

https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/judge-bars-disney-warner-fox-venu-launch-fubotv-1236109394/