Venu Sports Streamer Reportedly Will Feature Multiview, DVR, More
Venu Sports Streamer Reportedly Will Feature Multiview, DVR, More
The app seems to be coming together quickly, which is logical considering it’s supposed to launch very soon.
With fewer than three months until the NFL season opens, the pressure is on Venu Sports executives and programmers to get the service up and running. Building a streamer from scratch takes a lot of work, but fortunately, Venu can leverage resources from all three of the companies that have bought into the joint venture: Disney, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery. Janko Roettgers has a wealth of new details about Venu Sports available in his entertainment newsletter Lowpass, and while information like the price and launch date of the service are still hidden, from the looks of things, Venu has several features that sports fans are going to love.
Key Details:
- Venu has more than 150 people working on it to try and bring it to life by fall.
- Much of Venu’s interface, including a Top 10 row, “Must Watch” events, and a programming guide will look very familiar.
- Venu will offer a multiview function, as well as a feature that allows viewers to disable the display of game scores to avoid spoilers.
While Venu has not released any specific details about the platform, Lowpass reports that the joint venture between Disney, Fox, and WBD was developing a web-based version of the app for a smart TV platform and that this version of the service was available publicly. This allowed interested onlookers to explore some of the features that are set to be available on Venu when it launches.
Venu’s user interface reportedly isn’t trying to reinvent the streaming wheel, and that’s most likely a good thing. The home screen brings viewers to a “For You” tab, one of three menu options they’ll see at the top of the screen. Marquee events appear on the top of the screen, followed by tile rows like “Must Watch” events and a Library row where viewers will find games and shows they’ve DVR’d. The “For You” section will also feature league-specific content hubs, as well as event-specific zones for tournaments like the Copa America and UEFA European Championship.
The “Live” tab will show viewers a simplified programming guide with all of Venu’s available channels, showing viewers sporting and non-sporting events on all channels. Roettgers noted a slot for a Max channel, which is intriguing because as an on-demand streamer, Max doesn’t offer a linear feed. Perhaps a Max-themed free ad-supported TV (FAST) channel will be included on Venu, but more likely, the option will be an entry point for viewers who bundle Venu with Max to access the platform.
Lastly, Venu will feature a “Browse” tab that will give viewers quick access to individual sports, shows, and movies. It has rows of round sports tiles for events from football to dog shows. A menu on the left side of the “Browse” screen will allow viewers to toggle between sports, TV shows, movies, and more.
What Features Are Coming to Venu?
There are a couple of features observed by Roettgers that I’m sure sports fans are going to dig when Venu comes out. First off is the multiview option, which will allow viewers to watch up to four contests at once. It will bear observing to see how much functionality Venu’s multiview launches with; will it be fully customizable? Will it be available to use with all events from all leagues? YouTube TV’s multiview added the ability to swap games in and out a year after it first launched, and it still only works with a frustratingly limited range of sports events, including college basketball and NBA League Pass games.
Venu will also allow users to disable the score display on games so that they can keep from being spoiled. So far no other streaming service allows for this, and it shows that Venu is thinking creatively to provide a top-shelf sports viewing experience for fans. There are likely to be other such innovative features coming to the streamer as it tries to build a reputation as a superior service for watching live sports.
If Venu can quash government worries about its place as a disruptor in the pay-TV world, and it can beat a lawsuit from Fubo, it appears to be all systems go for a fall launch. Venu will offer livestreams of 14 channels, including ABC, ESPN, Fox, FS1, TNT and TBS, and will also feature all the content available on ESPN+, meaning it will offer thousands of live sports events every year, including games from all the top leagues in the United States.
Venu Sports
Venu Sports was the planned live TV streaming service that would offer sports from ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SECN, ACCN, ESPNEWS, ABC, FOX, FS1, FS2, BTN, TNT, TBS, and truTV. Programming from ESPN+ and on-demand content would also be available, as would broadcasts of NFL, NBA, MLB, and NCAA games. However, in January 2025, after Fubo and Hulu + Live TV officially merged, Venu’s launch was put on hold thanks to a preliminary injunction. It was only a few days later that the joint venture was officially shut down for good.