DirectTV tees up its own take on the skinny sports streaming bundle
One of the most vocal opponents of the never-launched Venu Sports bundle just took the wraps off its own bundle of sports channels—and yes, ESPN stations are part of the deal. Launching today in 24 metro markets, DirecTV’s MySports package serves up roughly 40 sports-oriented channels, such as ACC Network, Big Ten Network, DIRECTV 4K Live, DIRECTV 4K Live 2, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNews, ESPNU, Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports 2, Golf Channel, MLB Network, NBA TV, NFL Network, NHL Network, SEC Network, TBS, TNT, TruTV, and USA Network. MySports subscribers will also get access to local ABC, Fox, and NBC stations, with ESPN+ and “additional” local stations (presumably including CBS affiliates, which are currently missing from the list) “coming online soon.” Besides those sports offerings, MySports subscribers will get the run of MyFree DirecTV ad-supported streaming channels, including ACC Digital Network, Big 12, Fight Network, Fuel TV, Origin Sports, Pickleball TV, Players TV, Sports Grid, Stadium Stream, Surfer TV, Swerve Combat, T2, The Jim Rome Show, TNA, Torque by History, Waypoint TV, and Women’s Sports Network. The price? At launch, MySports is actually a decent deal at $49.99 a month, just $7 a month more than the $42.99 price point Venu had been eyeing for a similar skinny sports bundle. But that’s just a three-month promotional offer, provided you sign up by February 28; after that, the monthly price for MySports jumps by $20, to $69.99 a month. That’s quite a bit more than Venu Sports would have charged—then again, there is no Venu Sports, following word Monday that backers Disney, Fox, and Warner Brothers had scuttled their plans to launch the bundle. If you want a cheaper streaming service that offers the ESPN family of channels, there’s always Sling TV Orange, which has ESPN, ESPN4K, ESPN2, and ESPN 3 for $45.99 a month. But the Sling TV Orange package only offers a smidgen of other sports channels, such as TBS and TNT (which aren’t all-sports, all the time). Then there’s live streaming TV services like Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, and Fubo (which just struck a deal to merge its live TV operations with Hulu), all of which charge north of $80/month for access to ESPN and other sports channels. Even if DirecTV’s MySports offering isn’t to your liking, similar bundles are sure to follow in the wake of Venu’s demise. Indeed, the mere threat of Venu Sports seems to have been enough to shake up the streaming landscape. After all, Fubo’s deal with Hulu owner Disney to join forces with Hulu was contingent on Fubo dropping its Venu lawsuit (a federal injunction against the Venu launch remains in place), and now here’s DirecTV, a strident Venu opponent, with its own take on the skinny sports bundle. And once Disney finally launches its long-awaited ESPN standalone service, sports-minded cord-cutters will have even more options to pick over.
One of the most vocal opponents of the never-launched Venu Sports bundle just took the wraps off its own bundle of sports channels—and yes, ESPN stations are part of the deal.
Launching today in 24 metro markets, DirecTV’s MySports package serves up roughly 40 sports-oriented channels, such as ACC Network, Big Ten Network, DIRECTV 4K Live, DIRECTV 4K Live 2, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNews, ESPNU, Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports 2, Golf Channel, MLB Network, NBA TV, NFL Network, NHL Network, SEC Network, TBS, TNT, TruTV, and USA Network.
MySports subscribers will also get access to local ABC, Fox, and NBC stations, with ESPN+ and “additional” local stations (presumably including CBS affiliates, which are currently missing from the list) “coming online soon.”
Besides those sports offerings, MySports subscribers will get the run of MyFree DirecTV ad-supported streaming channels, including ACC Digital Network, Big 12, Fight Network, Fuel TV, Origin Sports, Pickleball TV, Players TV, Sports Grid, Stadium Stream, Surfer TV, Swerve Combat, T2, The Jim Rome Show, TNA, Torque by History, Waypoint TV, and Women’s Sports Network.
The price? At launch, MySports is actually a decent deal at $49.99 a month, just $7 a month more than the $42.99 price point Venu had been eyeing for a similar skinny sports bundle.
But that’s just a three-month promotional offer, provided you sign up by February 28; after that, the monthly price for MySports jumps by $20, to $69.99 a month.
That’s quite a bit more than Venu Sports would have charged—then again, there is no Venu Sports, following word Monday that backers Disney, Fox, and Warner Brothers had scuttled their plans to launch the bundle.
If you want a cheaper streaming service that offers the ESPN family of channels, there’s always Sling TV Orange, which has ESPN, ESPN4K, ESPN2, and ESPN 3 for $45.99 a month. But the Sling TV Orange package only offers a smidgen of other sports channels, such as TBS and TNT (which aren’t all-sports, all the time).
Then there’s live streaming TV services like Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, and Fubo (which just struck a deal to merge its live TV operations with Hulu), all of which charge north of $80/month for access to ESPN and other sports channels.
Even if DirecTV’s MySports offering isn’t to your liking, similar bundles are sure to follow in the wake of Venu’s demise. Indeed, the mere threat of Venu Sports seems to have been enough to shake up the streaming landscape.
After all, Fubo’s deal with Hulu owner Disney to join forces with Hulu was contingent on Fubo dropping its Venu lawsuit (a federal injunction against the Venu launch remains in place), and now here’s DirecTV, a strident Venu opponent, with its own take on the skinny sports bundle.
And once Disney finally launches its long-awaited ESPN standalone service, sports-minded cord-cutters will have even more options to pick over.
