I’ve been begrudgingly paying for YouTube TV for years now, all because it’s the cheapest and easiest way to watch my favorite sports teams. I’m totally satisfied with the service, but I’m also paying for dozens of channels that I never have and likely never will watch. The idea of trading my YouTube TV subscription in for an even marginally cheaper streamer that only broadcasts sports is appealing, but I’m not sure Venu Sports is the answer.
This week, The Walt Disney Company, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery announced that their joint venture, Venu Sports, will cost $42.99 per month when it launches in the fall. A seven-day free trial will also be available at launch.
All in all, that’s not a terrible deal for what the service offers. Venu subscribers will have access to ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SECN, ACCN, ESPNEWS, ABC, FOX, FS1, FS2, BTN, TNT, TBS, truTV, and ESPN+ for less than $50 per month. By comparison, YouTube TV costs $72.99 per month, and Hulu + Live TV starts at $75.99 per month for its cheapest plan.
With all those linear channels, subscribers will be able to watch NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, WNBA, college sports, U.S. and international soccer, combat sports, Grand Slam tennis, championship golf, INDYCAR, NASCAR, F1, and even the UFL.
Here’s the issue: If you’re subscribing to a sports streamer that costs twice as much as Netflix, Max, or any other major service, you’re probably a pretty big sports fan. As an obsessed sports fan myself, I can tell you that we’ll watch just about anything if we’re desperate enough. But if I only pay for Venu, I’m going to end up missing tons of games.
As noted above, Disney, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery joined forces to bring this service to life. As a result, CBS (owned by Paramount) and NBC (owned by NBCUniversal) are not part of the deal. CBS and NBC will combine to air well over 100 NFL games this season, none of which you will be able to watch on the Venu Sports app. The same is true of dozens of Big Ten college football games on CBS. Sorry, Ohio State and Michigan fans.
Then there’s the fact that Venu does not feature regional sports networks (RSNs), such as Bally Sports. Most other internet TV services don’t broadcast RSNs either, but if you’re a baseball fan, you’re going to have to find another way to watch your team’s games.
“No NBC. No CBS. If you’re in an area where antenna won’t work, you need to add Peacock with local NBC and Paramount Plus with local CBS for $14 and $13 respectively,” one Redditor noted regarding the price of the service. “That with Venu totals $70 a month. No thanks I’ll stick with YTTV at $73. ALL these services will continuously raise prices.”
A standalone sports streaming service should be a home run, but this feels like a double.
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