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ESPN taking a big subscriber hit lately ...
Posted on 11/30/16 at 2:46 pm
Posted on 11/30/16 at 2:46 pm
ESPNU, ESPNNews and SECNetwork are saving their bacon right now.
They need to do business the right way and quit with their political narrative poisoning our sports programming before they are forced to renege on their contract with us.
And I wonder if we have a contingency plan in place btw?
LINK
ESPN seems to be dead set on self destruction ... I hope they are learning a lesson here and I hope it does not negatively or adversely affect our SEC Network deal with them. They owe us the money ... they need to get their stuff together up there.
They need to do business the right way and quit with their political narrative poisoning our sports programming before they are forced to renege on their contract with us.
And I wonder if we have a contingency plan in place btw?
LINK
quote:
In the last two months, ESPN has lost 1,176,000 subscribers, a subscriber loss nearly the size of the city of Dallas, Texas. ESPN currently has just over 88 million domestic subscribers. In 2013, a mere three years ago, ESPN had 99 million subscribers. That’s right, in the last three years, ESPN lost somewhere in the neighborhood of ten million subscribers, the rough equivalent of the combined populations of New York City and Phoenix.
Now, in fairness, ESPN has contested the subscriber estimates that Nielsen put forth, citing the omission of multiple factors, including streaming services and digital device numbers. However, if the Nielsen numbers even remotely approximate the true subscriber loss, it means ESPN has lost hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue over the last three years alone and if the trend continues, is well on its way to collapse.
quote:
ESPN Ombudsman Jim Brady, admitted that the network lurched way too far to the left in recent years, alienating many viewers.
ESPN seems to be dead set on self destruction ... I hope they are learning a lesson here and I hope it does not negatively or adversely affect our SEC Network deal with them. They owe us the money ... they need to get their stuff together up there.
quote:
What do ESPNU, ESPNEWS, and the SEC Network all have in common? They are, by far, the least opinion-driven and ideological of all the ESPN channels. ESPN’s slate of uber-opinionated, radically leftist programs such as Around the Horn, First Take, Pardon the Interruption, His & Hers, and others all appear on ESPN or ESPN2, the channels which have seen the greatest decline.
ESPNU, ESPNEWS, and the SEC Network primarily feature sporting events, simulcast radio shows, or straight news reporting with very little opinion, or, at least very little political opinion. Those channels have either marginally declined or stayed flat.
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Posted on 11/30/16 at 2:48 pm to scrooster
People want to watch ESPN for sports. Period. All the other white noise turns people away.
Posted on 11/30/16 at 2:49 pm to scrooster
quote:
What do ESPNU, ESPNEWS, and the SEC Network all have in common? They are, by far, the least opinion-driven and ideological of all the ESPN channels. ESPN’s slate of uber-opinionated, radically leftist programs such as Around the Horn, First Take, Pardon the Interruption, His & Hers, and others all appear on ESPN or ESPN2, the channels which have seen the greatest decline.
Yep! Sorry I didn't go to the school of "whoever yells louder is right". Most of these shows are incredibly annoying.
Posted on 11/30/16 at 2:51 pm to scrooster
I remember when you could turn on espn any hour of the day or night and see sports. Either games or highlights.
Now it's 99% talk show. Even sorts talk radio they talk about non-sports shite half the time. It's crazy they would have to fill air time considering how many sporting events are going on every single day.
Now it's 99% talk show. Even sorts talk radio they talk about non-sports shite half the time. It's crazy they would have to fill air time considering how many sporting events are going on every single day.
Posted on 11/30/16 at 2:52 pm to scrooster
What ESPN has forgotten is that MEN watch sports. I don't expect them to be bastion of conservatism, but I do expect them not to preach a narrative.
They got their asses handed to them for trying to railroad Peyton Manning based on a Shaun King article, and then failing to apologize or retract any of their baseless statements after they were proven wrong. Manning should have sued ESPN and Shaun King, but he's not that kind of guy.
They got their asses handed to them for trying to railroad Peyton Manning based on a Shaun King article, and then failing to apologize or retract any of their baseless statements after they were proven wrong. Manning should have sued ESPN and Shaun King, but he's not that kind of guy.
Posted on 11/30/16 at 2:53 pm to scrooster
quote:
What do ESPNU, ESPNEWS, and the SEC Network all have in common? They are, by far, the least opinion-driven and ideological of all the ESPN channels. ESPN’s slate of uber-opinionated, radically leftist programs such as Around the Horn, First Take, Pardon the Interruption, His & Hers, and others all appear on ESPN or ESPN2, the channels which have seen the greatest decline.
ESPNU, ESPNEWS, and the SEC Network primarily feature sporting events, simulcast radio shows, or straight news reporting with very little opinion, or, at least very little political opinion. Those channels have either marginally declined or stayed flat.
Whoever wrote this knows absolutely nothing about how cable subscriptions work. The reason ESPNU, News, and the SECN haven't seen the number of declines as ESPN and 2 is because they are included in fewer bundles. Fewer customers ever had them to begin with.
It's not like any particular subscriber can say "I hate the liberal, SJW content on ESPN and ESPN2, so I'm going to get rid of those channels while keeping ESPNU, ESPNEWS, and the SEC Network."
Posted on 11/30/16 at 2:54 pm to bamawriter
Yeah this has less to do with liberalism and more to do with people watching shite on their computer.
Posted on 11/30/16 at 2:56 pm to scrooster
This has very little to do with people dropping just ESPN (it is a "basic" cable channel in most places) and more to do with the fact that people are getting rid of cable service completely.
As far as cord cutting goes, there is a floor that eventually we will hit. I love my Roku but asking grandma to rely on three to four streaming services in three to four apps to replicate cable is WAY too much for her. Apple is trying to simplify things with its TV app, but it doesn't include the two biggest players in the space (Netflix and Amazon) so its useless for grandma.
I feel like cable rates will drop to around 40-50% of the population and stay there for 10-15 years until grandma's generation dies off. ESPN's problem (compared to most channels) is they are already committed to pay out in huge fees to leagues and conferences going forward, so they might not be able to survive at that rate. I don't know if they can get out of the deals, or maybe Mickey Mouse will subsidize that division until the contracts run out.
The problem for college football is there is a whole generation who wants to avoid cable service so much that they will just do without college football to get there. 30 years from now the ratings for people playing videogames might be as high as for people playing football because today its easy to get "eSports" streamed to any device you want. Get em hooked young is the lesson the cigarette companies taught us all a long time ago.
The SEC looks smart today moneywise for locking themselves into ESPN but maybe years from now it will be a mistake.
As far as cord cutting goes, there is a floor that eventually we will hit. I love my Roku but asking grandma to rely on three to four streaming services in three to four apps to replicate cable is WAY too much for her. Apple is trying to simplify things with its TV app, but it doesn't include the two biggest players in the space (Netflix and Amazon) so its useless for grandma.
I feel like cable rates will drop to around 40-50% of the population and stay there for 10-15 years until grandma's generation dies off. ESPN's problem (compared to most channels) is they are already committed to pay out in huge fees to leagues and conferences going forward, so they might not be able to survive at that rate. I don't know if they can get out of the deals, or maybe Mickey Mouse will subsidize that division until the contracts run out.
The problem for college football is there is a whole generation who wants to avoid cable service so much that they will just do without college football to get there. 30 years from now the ratings for people playing videogames might be as high as for people playing football because today its easy to get "eSports" streamed to any device you want. Get em hooked young is the lesson the cigarette companies taught us all a long time ago.
The SEC looks smart today moneywise for locking themselves into ESPN but maybe years from now it will be a mistake.
Posted on 11/30/16 at 2:58 pm to scrooster
Good, ESPN needs to feel the pain
Posted on 11/30/16 at 3:03 pm to Kcoyote
ESPN is to the 2010's what MTV was to the 2000's. MTV had an incredibly popular core product in music videos. However, they gradually moved away from airing that product in favor of internally-produced shows. The result was a serious dip in their popularity and relevance. ESPN is undergoing the same. To use a hackneyed old cliche, they have forgotten where they came from.
Posted on 11/30/16 at 3:03 pm to scrooster
quote:
radically leftist
I agree that identity politics is a disaster and that it's hurting ESPN, but the idea that this has anything to do with radical leftists is absurd. None of these people are against capitalism, and identity politics is basically the political ideology of late capitalism. Actual leftists are concerned with the economy, not the narcissism of identity politics.
Posted on 11/30/16 at 3:04 pm to scrooster
Just broadcast the games. Save the social/political stuff for the "news" shows.
Posted on 11/30/16 at 3:06 pm to scrooster
I just realized this is a Breitbart link. Jesus, no wonder it wants to incorrectly pin this decline on ESPN's message instead of their distribution method.
Posted on 11/30/16 at 3:09 pm to RTRLSD
I'd get rid of cable or ESPN as well, but it's tied in to my monthly HOA fees in our neighborhood. Our community developer and Verizon have a 20 year contract to only have fiber in the neighborhood and not any other cable company. Verizon then sold all of its Fios to Frontier.
Posted on 11/30/16 at 3:09 pm to GoCrazyAuburn
quote:
People want to watch ESPN for sports. Period. All the other white noise turns people away.
Yeah I want to watch sports and watch sports talked about,,
If I want right wing/left wing political bullshite I will tune to Fox/CNN
Posted on 11/30/16 at 3:11 pm to Kcoyote
It's cord cutting, as others have already noted.
I think their quality of programming has gone down as well, but the Bayless et al. approach was working for a bit there. ESPN is a big boat to turn around so I'm hopeful they will go in a direction that speaks to fans as if they are intelligent at some point. Their soccer programming has usually done this and is well regarded, 30 for 30, and so on.
I think their quality of programming has gone down as well, but the Bayless et al. approach was working for a bit there. ESPN is a big boat to turn around so I'm hopeful they will go in a direction that speaks to fans as if they are intelligent at some point. Their soccer programming has usually done this and is well regarded, 30 for 30, and so on.
Posted on 11/30/16 at 3:11 pm to GoCrazyAuburn
I wonder some times what Paul Finebaum's political leanings are ... and the reason I wonder is because he has, at times, seemed to make assertions or implied that he leans pretty far left.
I thought it was a huge mistake, him having Ken Burns come on his show and then allowing Burns to spew his far left wing vitriol about Trump ... and I mean it was way the frick outta hand. But again, this is something that all of the sports networks need to be careful with because viewers, followers and subscribers are probably tired of it - and it is going to cost everyone in the long run.
I don't want the SEC Network fricked up. It's a cash cow for us.
I thought it was a huge mistake, him having Ken Burns come on his show and then allowing Burns to spew his far left wing vitriol about Trump ... and I mean it was way the frick outta hand. But again, this is something that all of the sports networks need to be careful with because viewers, followers and subscribers are probably tired of it - and it is going to cost everyone in the long run.
I don't want the SEC Network fricked up. It's a cash cow for us.
Posted on 11/30/16 at 3:12 pm to TidenUP
quote:
Just broadcast the games. Save the social/political stuff for the "news" shows.
Maybe I just tune it out, but I don't see the political stuff infecting the live sports all that often.
I hear and read about how far left ESPN has moved, and yet I really don't see it. But that's probably because I rarely watch any of their content other than games and the occasional 30 for 30.
Honestly, who even watches Sportscenter anymore? Every highlight you could ever want is available 24/7 on your phone.
This post was edited on 11/30/16 at 3:13 pm
Posted on 11/30/16 at 3:12 pm to GoCrazyAuburn
quote:
People want to watch ESPN for sports. Period. All the other white noise turns people away.
Exactly this. I've been saying for years that these media moguls who try to politicize sports will ultimately cause the collapse of the sport. Way too much money involved now to take the politics out of this. The Big Ten Network started this but it's been going like gangbusters since around 2010 or 2011. Nobody faults the SEC for wanting to have its own network. The complaints come from the fact that ESPN is funding the network, and the LHN. If you are a world wide leader in sports news, it doesn't look like they can be bipartisan in their views across the board. I hate that I have to even watch ESPN anymore, but they hold the cards on most college football and basketball games.
Posted on 11/30/16 at 3:12 pm to scrooster
last time I liked Sportscenter
(before obermann turned douche on MSNBC)
(before obermann turned douche on MSNBC)
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