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Déjà Venu

When the opening day cheers subside for ESPN’s new streamer, some of the distributors who helped build the poky cable channel into a sports juggernaut may worry they’ll end up with Venu by another name.

NFL
The ESPN–Fox One bundle, the distributors believe, is essentially the same business—especially considering ESPN’s NFL deal, which gives it ownership of NFL Network and NFL RedZone, not to mention the likelihood that ESPN will carry MLB.TV’s out-of-market package. Photo: Tim Warner/Getty Images
John Ourand
August 21, 2025

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The excitement surrounding ESPN’s direct-to-consumer launch was palpable this morning—from the John Cena promos to the convivial Bob Iger–Jimmy Pitaro joint appearance on CNBC. Of course, in the run-up to launch, Pitaro & Co. had fanned out across the mediasphere to hype ESPN’s streaming future and tout the launch as a wise, forward-looking bet on the network’s ability to retain its sports dominance for decades to come.