VENN Reveals First Slate of Shows Set to Launch in August

The Video Game Entertainment and News Network, otherwise known as VENN, has officially unveiled its first slate of shows ahead of the August debut of the “live 24/7 network for gaming, streaming, esports and entertainment audiences” that was first announced last year. The launch lineup includes five different shows ranging from a variety show to an unboxing one to one all about fitness, and according to VENN, this is only the beginning. All of this is expected to be available via Twitch, YouTube, and an extremely nebulous “more” starting August 5th.

“From conception, VENN has been laser-focused on elevating the creators of this generation with production leadership, a chance to flex new creative muscles and grow their audiences via our broad distribution,” said Ariel Horn, Co-CEO of VENN. “As we close in on our August launch, we’re thrilled to pull back the curtain on the first wave of programming – and the unique blend of talent curated from the worlds of gaming and cutting edge digital storytelling.”

Launch shows for the network more specifically include VENN Arcade Live, a daily variety show hosted by League of Legends Championship Series host James “Dash” Patterson among others; Dare Package, an unboxing challenge show hosted by @AustinOnTwitter; Guest House, a two-hour CYOA-style stream hosted by @ChrissyConstanza where guests can seemingly do as they like with the backing of a production team; The SushiDragon Show, a “variety, talk, performance and interactivity rolled into a bananas performance featuring musicians, artists and creators” hosted by @TheSushiDragon; and Looking for Gains, an interactive fitness show hosted by @CashNasty. More shows are expected to be revealed next week.

“We’re disrupting the traditional television business model and giving birth to a powerful voice in GenZ and Millennial entertainment. We identify and curate fan favorite talent, develop and elevate their content with a world class TV production infrastructure, then rapidly scale it all via our universally distributed network,” said Ben Kusin, Co-CEO of VENN. “There’s a currency in generational talents and a currency in generational movements, and that timeliness can’t wait for traditional TV to adapt. The time for VENN is now.”

VENN is set to launch on August 5th from a studio in Playa Vista, California. A new flagship studio is expected to open in New York next year. Exactly how VENN will be watched is still a little confusing, but Twitch and YouTube have been mentioned by name, and the company claims that it will be “distributed across a broad range of soon to be announced media platforms, including streaming services, social, cable, satellite and OTT.”

What do you think of what we’ve heard about VENN so far? Are you excited about the newly revealed shows? Let us know in the comments, or hit me up directly on Twitter at @rollinbishop to talk all things gaming!