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The streaming wars are heating up once again with a new sports offering that will start at a whopping $42.99 a month.
The upcoming platform, Venu Sports, is a joint effort from ESPN, Warner Bros Discovery and Fox Corp and will launch in early September at the start of the NFL season, the companies announced this week.
The streaming service will offer thousands of live sporting events from professional and college leagues, according to a news release, along with US and international soccer, combat sports, Grand Slam tennis, championship golf, INDYCAR, NASCAR, F1 and more.
Subscribers will be able to stream content from the three networks including NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB and college football and basketball coverage.
New Venu Sports CEO Pete Distad called the platform the “single destination for watching many of the most sought-after games and events” for American sports fans.
The platform will cost $42.99 a month but customers will be able to test it out with a seven-day free trial.
However, Venu Sports’ price could increase after the first year, according to CNBC. On Thursday, a spokesperson for the platform said that customers that sign up the first year will have access to the entry pricing of $42.99 for 12 months.
Venu Sports is the latest development in the streaming wars which has seen networks and media companies compete for eyeballs with various bundles. While the cost of streaming continues to rise each year, it is still largely cheaper than cable.
Earlier this year, Disney and Warner Bros Discovery announced plans to launch a bundle that will include Max, Disney+ and Hulu. The platform will be $16.99 a month with ads and $29.99 a month ad-free.
Warner Bros Discovery owns Max and Discovery+, both of which have streaming plans of their own. The cheapest plan for Discovery+ is $8.99 a month and Max is $9.99 a month. ESPN, owned by Disney, charges $10.99 a month for its cheapest plan. Some Fox programs are available to stream on Hulu. Hulu’s cheapest plan is $7.99 a month.
In May, Comcast launched a $15 per month subscription combining Netflix, Apple TV Plus and Peacock.
Netflix continues to be the leading streaming platform globally with 277 million subscribers.
If you’re travelling abroad and want to stream Venu Sports then you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN roundup is here to help: get the best VPN deals on the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are, and also with the terms of their service provider.
