Media companies scrap Venu Sports streaming service before it even started

Its planned launch last year was stopped due to a court fight with Fubo's streaming business. Although that was recently settled, other companies had signaled they were going to oppose Venu.

At the same time, in the constantly-changing maze of businesses offering services to people who want to abandon cable, other options were becoming available to people who were Venu's target audience.

“In an ever-changing marketplace, we determined that it was best to meet the evolving demands of sports fans by focusing on existing products and distribution channels,” ESPN, Fox and WBD said in a joint statement on Friday.

For ESPN, for example, that means concentrating on its own streaming service due to launch later this year.