

According to Deadline, Bob Iger, the CEO of Disney, had some things to say about the discontinued sports streaming service Venu. The streaming service set to launch last fall, was sued by DirectTV, Comcast, and Fubo for allegedly creating a monopoly on live-sport offerings in the arena. A settlement was eventually reached with Fubo being purchased by Disney for $220 million.
“Look what essentially happened is, after the decision was made and we started to implement the launch of Venu, the emergence of these skinnier bundles surfaced, and Venu basically looked redundant to us,” Iger stated on an earnings call via Deadline. “And so this was a great opportunity for us to make ESPN available on multiple skinny bundles.”
According to Deadline, Iger isn’t sure how much the bundles would impact viewers cutting the cord of linear cable. However, he seeks to take advantage of getting ESPN on these other platforms because it will help with the distribution of the network.
“The goal all along, as it relates to ESPN, is to make ESPN as accessible as possible and in as many ways as possible to the consumer, Iger said via Deadline. “Some will want to consume it just through an app. Some will want to consume it as part of the more traditional, expanded basic bundle, some will migrate into in the direction of skinnier bundles, or sports bundles only.
According to Deadline, ESPN has become available as a tile on Disney+ and is helping with consumer engagement. Eventually, Disney will roll out ESPN+, which will include more options and enhancements including “some form of betting and fantasy and a high degree of customization and personalization, and essentially a much bigger offering in terms of product programming,” Iger added. Iger says that this time around they will be more strategic about the pricing.