On Wednesday, the new free-to-view 24/7 TV network named VENN launched on streaming services. Offering regularly scheduled programs about pop culture, video games, and in particular esports, VENN broadcasts on Twitch, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter, with other platforms 'coming soon.'
VENN co-founders Ben Kusin and Ariel Horn initially planned to launch the network with two studios, one in New York and another in Los Angeles. However, the coronavirus pandemic prompted Kusin and Horn to delay the New York launch and focus on the VENN's Los Angeles debut.
During an interview with CNBC, Kusin explained that the decision to scale back the launch was made to accommodate workers and content creators in the midst of the pandemic. "In Covid, you've got to keep everyone separate. It's really about best practices … it's going to be, for a while, our responsibility to take best in class measures every step of the way. Our team is the most important thing about what we do," he noted. With Americans and people across the world relegated to remaining indoors due to the lockdowns prompted by the pandemic, VENN is aiming to capitalize on the growing demand for gaming and streaming content.
Last month, VENN released a new trailer that previews some of the original programming the network has lined up, including the news show called The Download and Grey Area with hosts Sasha Grey and Dumbfoundead. However, Horn indicated that gaming and esports may not be the sole form of entertainment provided by VENN. "We have now learned a lot about gamers as gaming becomes ubiquitous. We just want to continue to understand what young people want by using gaming as a lens, but not to only talk about gaming," Horn explained.
VENN's launch may not have come at a better time considering the aforementioned lockdown being imposed. Even as restrictions are being lifted in some areas across the world, many are still trying to find entertainment while remaining at home as much possible in order to minimize their chances of being exposed to COVID-19. It's also interesting to view the launch in the context of G4's imminent return. VENN seems to aiming for the same audience that G4 once appealed to, but G4's model was TV channel-based and therefore, some would argue, too old-fashioned to hold a modern audience's attention.
However, just because people are staying home more often than usual doesn't mean they will be flocking to the latest streaming service. After all, Quibi launched when the coronavirus was arguably at the peak of its first wave and still seems to be struggling to retain an audience.
VENN is now available to watch on Twitch, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter.
Source: CNBC