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Morning Edition

January 14, 2025

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Venu Sports, a skinny streaming bundle devised by Fox, Disney, and WBD, shuttered last week before ever launching. However, its spirit will remain—in part within the very company whose lawsuit played a critical role in Venu’s demise.

— Eric Fisher [[link removed]], Colin Salao [[link removed]], and David Rumsey [[link removed]]

Venu Sports Is Dead, but Its Skinny Bundle Blueprint Powers On [[link removed]]

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Venu Sports is dead. Long live Venu Sports—sort of.

The high-profile but embattled streaming service threw in the towel Friday, formally discontinuing after never going live [[link removed]]. The spirit of Venu Sports, however, as well as a meaningful portion of its planned content, will live on in a sports-centric skinny bundle contemplated by Fubo Inc. in its new joint venture with ESPN parent company Disney.

The large-scale deal announced last week [[link removed]]—in which Disney will acquire a majority stake in the rival streamer and Fubo operations will be combined with those of Hulu + Live TV—included a new carriage agreement for numerous ESPN networks and “allow Fubo to create a new sports & broadcast service.”

That forthcoming bundle may very well be aided by Fox Sports content, too. Last week, Fubo said it reached an amended distribution agreement with Fox, suggesting programming from that network could also be involved.

There are still plenty of details to work out, and it’s also not yet known whether this planned skinny sports bundle will have a price similar to the $42.99 per month contemplated for Venu Sports. The essence of what was envisioned before with Venu Sports, though, will likely still reach the public—just in a different way.

“We’ve been very focused over the last three weeks on amending our [carriage] agreements to allow us to create these skinnier bundles,” said Fubo cofounder and CEO David Gandler after reaching the Disney pact. “We still have other programming deals, and we have to work through those as well.”

Warner Bros. Discovery, the other partner of Venu Sports, currently does not have a carriage agreement with Fubo. It does, however, have one with Hulu + Live TV. It will bear close watching whether the combined entity and the greater marketplace scale it now creates with more than 6.2 million total subscribers, results in an altered deal there.

A Cleaner Market

The demise of Venu undoubtedly provides a simpler marketplace presence for Disney and ESPN, which already have ESPN+, this new alliance with Fubo, and the forthcoming direct-to-consumer “Flagship” version of ESPN [[link removed]] that Disney CEO Bob Iger has called “the best product the consumer has ever seen in sports.” That latter project is unquestionably the primary streaming priority for ESPN.

The recent developments are also perhaps a big win for Fox, which has had a less pronounced streaming strategy than many other major media entities and could benefit greatly from this retooled strategy led by Fubo.

“No other company stands the most to gain from the testing of the Venu-thesis that there is an appetite out there for skinnier bundles, especially with a sports/news focus, that achieves meaningful price differentiation by dropping longer-tail networks, as compared to a full-fledged [virtual multichannel video programming distributor] offering like YouTube TV,” wrote MoffettNathanson senior analyst Robert Fishman in a research note.

WNBA Free Agency Is Nigh, but CBA Uncertainty Raises Huge Questions [[link removed]]

Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

WNBA free agency officially opened Saturday with teams allowed to make qualifying offers or hand out “core” player designations—one-year, maximum contracts similar to the NFL’s franchise tag. This period runs until Jan. 20. Teams can begin negotiating with free agents Jan. 21, though players can officially sign deals starting Feb. 1.

The biggest names expected to be on the move this offseason are Las Vegas Aces guard Kelsey Plum and Dallas Wings forward Satou Sabally. Plum was given the core designation— worth nearly $250,000 [[link removed]]—on Saturday, while according to ESPN’s Alexa Philippou, Sabally is expected to receive the same tag [[link removed]] Monday.

These designations do not mean the teams plan to keep the All-Stars. They still could be dealt elsewhere, but their former teams can recoup some assets.

“I’m working with [the Wings] and finding a next home for me,” Sabally told reporters Thursday during a media availability for Unrivaled, the new 3-on-3 women’s basketball league launching Friday. “I’ve already played my last game in Dallas.”

Calm Before the Storm

The top free-agent names according to ESPN’s list [[link removed]] are two-time MVP and Unrivaled cofounder Breanna Stewart and 2016 MVP Nneka Ogwumike. Both are expected to return to the New York Liberty and Seattle Storm, respectively. However, Stewart will likely be given the core designation, while Ogwumike, who is no longer eligible for the designation, may also receive a one-year deal for max money.

Most players, particularly those who aren’t fighting for roster spots, are maneuvering to be free agents next season. The Women’s National Basketball Players Association opted out of the league’s collective bargaining agreement [[link removed]] in October, and a new deal should take effect by next offseason when the league’s historic $2.2 billion media-rights [[link removed]] deal kicks in that could trigger exponential increases to player salaries. However, there is no assurance that players under contract beyond 2026 will receive salary increases equivalent to whatever cap spike comes next offseason.

“I am under a one-year, and I’m going to sign another one-year,” Stewart said in October [[link removed]], noting the new TV deal offers a lot of uncertainty.

Stewart’s All-Star teammates Jonquel Jones and Sabrina Ionescu will also be unrestricted free agents in 2026. So will three-time Finals MVP A’ja Wilson. As for viewership magnet Caitlin Clark [[link removed]], she is entering just the second year of a four-year rookie deal, so the CBA will have to factor in existing contracts for her to see a noticeable bump in 2026.

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EXCLUSIVE Colorado Is Latest School to Ditch NIL Collective Ahead of House Settlement

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Colorado has become the latest Power 4 university to cut ties with its official NIL (name, image, and likeness) collective, as athletic departments nationwide prepare for the impact of the House v. NCAA settlement, which should be finalized later this year [[link removed]].

Fresh off the football team’s Alamo Bowl appearance and Travis Hunter’s Heisman Trophy, Colorado is changing its strategy in the NIL era—less than 10 months after launching the 5430 Alliance.

“We are restructuring our NIL procedures in order to be prepared for the changes to come,” Colorado athletic director Rick George wrote in an email to fans that was delivered Monday morning and reviewed by Front Office Sports.

The House v. NCAA settlement would allow schools to pay athletes up to $22 million annually—total, across all sports programs—through revenue-sharing. Athletes will still be able to make money from NIL deals, and schools could choose to keep working with a collective to help facilitate funds beyond that $22 million annual sum. But players will be able to get paid directly by their schools, which hadn’t previously been the case.

George called the NIL decision a “proactive move” that ensures that “those who want to support CU student-athletes and programs can give to one convenient place.”

Read more about Colorado’s decision and the new trends around NIL in this exclusive report from FOS newsletter writer David Rumsey [[link removed]].

SPONSORED BY SPORTRADAR

Shaping the Future of Fan Engagement

Today’s sports fans want more than just a game—they want an experience. Together, the NBA and Sportradar [[link removed]]are delivering just that by transforming data into immersive, interactive moments that redefine what it means to be a fan.

From 3D game visualizations and live-betting integrations to AI-driven storytelling tools, their partnership leverages cutting-edge technology [[link removed]] to meet the demands of younger, multi-screen audiences.

With 2 billion fans globally and €112 billion in basketball betting turnover, this collaboration is setting the standard for how sports leagues and tech partners can shape the future of engagement.

Read the full article. [[link removed]]

Loud and Clear Resilient Rams

Arizona Republic

“We will rebuild L.A. Hand in hand, together. For as long as it takes and whatever it takes.”

— Andrew Whitworth [[link removed]], who won Super Bowl LVI with the Rams, before the team’s playoff victory over the Vikings on Monday night. The game took place in Arizona due to fires that have forced over a hundred thousand Southern California residents to leave their homes. The NFL has announced it would donate $5 million to communities affected by the fires, while Los Angeles-area sports teams banded together to donate $8 million [[link removed]].

Conversation Starters Eagles wideout A.J. Brown was reading Inner Excellence on the sidelines during the team’s wild-card win. The book rose to No. 1 on Amazon’s bestsellers list [[link removed]]. FOS reporter Margaret Fleming sat down with sports clothing brand cofounders Kristin Juszczyk—wife of 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk—and fashion designer Emma Grede to talk NFL fashion and Taylor Swift’s impact on the league. Check it out [[link removed]]. Ohio State head coach Ryan Day earned a $500,000 bonus [[link removed]] for winning the Cotton Bowl. He can double it by winning the national championship. Editors’ Picks PWHL ‘Takeover Tour’ Sets Attendance Record in Denver [[link removed]]by Jeff Benson [[link removed]]The league aims to expand to eight teams for the 2025–2026 season. Gavin Newsom Reveals Status of 2028 Olympics As Los Angeles Wildfires Roar [[link removed]]by Ryan Glasspiegel [[link removed]]Gavin Newsom says there’s a “Marshall Plan” to rebuild Los Angeles. Cowboys Part Ways With McCarthy, Who Could Join Bears or Saints [[link removed]]by David Rumsey [[link removed]]McCarthy’s contract expired after five seasons in Dallas. Question of the Day

Where do you think Mike McCarthy will be next year?

Chicago [[link removed]] New Orleans [[link removed]] Another NFL team [[link removed]] On the couch [[link removed]]

Monday’s result: 81% of respondents think the NIL market for quarterbacks is overinflated.

Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Events [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Podcast [[link removed]] Written by Eric Fisher [[link removed]], Colin Salao [[link removed]], David Rumsey [[link removed]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Or Moyal [[link removed]], Catherine Chen [[link removed]]

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