Posted on 11/23/2016 2:20:16 PM PST by drewh
SPNs well-publicized hemorrhaging of subscribers peaked in recent months, greatly hindering the Bristol-based giants all-important ability to purchase sports rights. Now, subscriber loss reached such a level that ESPN has become a financial drain on its parent-company Disney.
Other Disney TV properties have also taken hits, but ESPNs subscription face-plant, highlighted by the earth-shattering loss of 621,000 subscribers in October, has Disney most concerned, considering that ESPN accounts for a huge portion Disneys operating income.
By some estimates, ESPN accounts for as much as 30% of Disneys operating income, and the sports powerhouse has shed 10 million subscribers in the past five years.
The long-term bills for ESPNs sports rights have skyrocketed in the past few years, due in part to renewed competition from Fox Sports and NBC Sports. That has set up a perfect storm of rising costs, softening ratings, and falling affiliate revenue.
To say that ESPN suffers from its own success is certainly one way of looking at it. The other way is that ESPN suffers because it has become insufferable. Not to totally dismiss the subscriber costs and cord-cutting that has plagued ESPN, but if those market factors fully explained the loss in subscribers then why, just two weeks ago, did ESPN Ombudsman Jim Brady write a voluminous mea culpa admitting that ESPN had lurched way too far to the left, thus alienating many of its viewers?
Not only that, Brady also outlined new rules regarding on-air and social media conduct for ESPN personalities that prevent them from going off on prolonged, leftist political rants. If what ails ESPN can simply be chalked-up as conspiring market forces in the greater war on cable television then such a lengthy, and surely painful admission from the four-letter network would prove unnecessary.
(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...
The irony is ESPN has more than its share of sexual harassment incidents, including many long time personalities. Remember the “Frat House” analogies when one of the crises broke out?
I love college football and ESPN is really good at covering it . . . even though some of its PC-token announcers and analysts are irritating and not very smart. Nevertheless, I am long past watching SC or that obnoxious OTL or anything else not dealing with the college game, nor watching commercial breaks.
Tape the games you want to watch and then make good use of FF and Delete. Saves time and irritation.
I could live without it nowadays myself.
The spouse is the sports addict and keeps it. She pays the bill so it’s here until the addiction passes or something bad happens.
ESPN is better off showing Australian rules football than the liberal all stars all afternoon and the web site is worse than the broadcast.
And I'm sure the mediots are scratching their heads wondering why.
NFL and ESPN are left wing thugs
how does it shed subscribers when the subscribers are cable companies that make ESPN compulsory
I think it’s fake news
Aww, so sad. Too bad.
“Republicans buy sneakers too.” Michael Jordan’s motto matters.
Yes
Hoping to cut the cord in the next two months. Of course I said that a year ago!
I tune in to ESPN around 10 PM (an increasingly rare event) to watch the daily recap of sports through Sportscenter. A week or two ago I turned to the station when I was greeted by two shrill lady broadcasters arguing on screen about some faux controversy. Thirty seconds later I changed the channel and I haven’t been back.
I want to see sports. I don’t want to feel like I’m being nagged when I’m trying to relax while watching sports. ESPN has really jumped the shark with their political commentary from nearly every newscaster.
Cable companies pay ESPN, or any programming supplier, a negotiated rate that boils down to ratings, regardless of how the details are structured. Fewer subscribers means lower ratings, and the fee goes down when the contract gets renewed. It’s simple supply and demand.
-—Cable companies pay ESPN-—
I understand all that. I can’t unsubscribe from ESPN unless I drop cable or downgrade to no service.
So, does the loss of 650 k ESPN customers translate to the real loss of cable providers of 650 k customers,
If so it seems that is the bigstory
Yes.
“...prevent them from going off on prolonged, leftist political rants.”
So shorter leftist political rants are OK? What’s the time limit?
Explained here:
Who needs sports tv when we each have two legs that love to move themselves.
Gravestone epithet:
Here lies Bob. Watched 20,000 hours of sports.
No no no... You aren’t far enough to the left. We need more Kaepernics and Olbermans. Put your liberal politics in to even more stuff.
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