According to Deadline, Bob Iger, The CEO of Disney had some things to say about the discontinued streaming service Venu. The streaming service which was launched last fall was sued by DirectTV, Comcast, and Fubo. There was a settlement with Fubo for $220 million according to Deadline. Venue displayed many things but the biggest thing that viewers wanted was to be able to view ESPN. Deadline says that Venu was “a venture of Disney, Fox, and Warner Bros.” The bundle became “irrelevant” due to the same type of bundles emerging and the want for ESPN to be a part of other bundles. You can read about Venu more in a previous mxdwn article.

Iger made a statement in the Deadline interview that after Venu launched, other bundles started to emerge, making the streaming service “redundant”. He went on to say that now that Venu is no longer up and running, it gives them more opportunity to be able “make ESPN available on multiple skinny bundles.” Iger stated that he wasn’t sure how ESPN will do on these other streaming bundles but he wants to take the advantage of getting ESPN on other platforms because it will help with the distribution of the network. Deadline says that during a Q&A with Iger, he expressed that the goal for ESPN was to be able to “make ESPN as accessible as possible and in as many ways as possible to the consumer,” and with the way it is going, he will do exactly like he said.

Since then, ESPN is now available on Disney+ and is helping with consumer engagement. Disney has decided on the idea to make ESPN+ which will hopefully help with consumer engagement in addition to the bundle. Deadline says that the network will be offered separately as well as a bundle along with Hulu and Disney+. According to Deadline, Iger says that this time, they will be more strategic about the pricing.