ESPN to offer streaming online, no cable subscription required

Jay Busbee
By Jay Busbee
17 hours ago

The Turnstile

Sports fans looking to untether from cable television got a big boost on Monday when Dish Network's Sling TV announced that ESPN will be available via a streaming subscription, no cable contract required.

For $20 a month, Dish will offer ESPN, ESPN2, CNN, TNT, Food Network, HGTV and the Cartoon Network to consumers to stream on their laptops and mobile devices. It's a huge step in the cord-cutting movement, the ongoing migration away from cable contracts that require subscribers to pay for hundreds of channels they may never watch.

So this is only with Sling?

Either way, I like where this is heading.

Hoping this is the first step toward real choice. The cable companies have had a monopoly for far too long--forcing us to take hundreds of channels we never wanted (or used) in order to watch the few we do want.

Perhaps wishful thinking... but it would be exciting to think that an expanded B12 might have the opportunity to get out in front of the other P5 conferences in this realm to give them some competitive advantage over the static, subscriber-based cable networks.

But, if past performance is the best predictor of future performance, I haven't seen the B12 being very proactive or innovative.

It will be interesting to see what and how blackout rules are applied to this deal. $20 per month is a better deal than regular cable but is still pretty expensive if it isn't going to include things like MNF and other major sporting events.

This would have a negative impact on the Big Ten in my opinion. As migration to online streaming gain steam, the Big will have a more difficult time demanding their fee from cable. In the long run, a la carte will reduce the value of the Big Ten network to the extent that its attraction will be limited only to those who really want it.
Also, this may damage any conference. If streaming is targeted to the media markets in your conference, at say $5.00 per month, what would that do to attendance at games and the related revenue stream? How would you restrict or blackout video streaming in the home team's market? A new age is rapidly approaching.

#DieTimeWarnerDie

ESPN currently receives around $6 a month per subscriber from cable companies.

(01-06-2015 11:05 AM)qsilvr2531 Wrote:  It will be interesting to see what and how blackout rules are applied to this deal. $20 per month is a better deal than regular cable but is still pretty expensive if it isn't going to include things like MNF and other major sporting events.

It should include MNF. I stream the Watch ESPN app on my Roku and get all programming for ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPN 3, ESPNU, ESPN News and ESPN Deportes. That's how I have MNF this past season.

(01-06-2015 11:45 AM)Bearcatnips Wrote:  ESPN currently receives around $6 a month per subscriber from cable companies.

Yeah, ESPN will still be making out ok with this new deal.

(01-06-2015 11:50 AM)RedRocker Wrote:  

(01-06-2015 11:05 AM)qsilvr2531 Wrote:  It will be interesting to see what and how blackout rules are applied to this deal. $20 per month is a better deal than regular cable but is still pretty expensive if it isn't going to include things like MNF and other major sporting events.

It should include MNF. I stream the Watch ESPN app on my Roku and get all programming for ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPN 3, ESPNU, ESPN News and ESPN Deportes. That's how I have MNF this past season.

Same here.

Considering that watch ESPN streaming has gone down during two of the most viewed events it offered recently, I hope they get their technical issues solved.

(01-06-2015 11:58 AM)Bearcatnips Wrote:  Considering that watch ESPN streaming has gone down during two of the most viewed events it offered recently, I hope they get their technical issues solved.

I kept dropping the FSU v. UO game, but no problems with O$U v. UoAT. I think they'll get it ironed out if they haven't already. Amazing how many people including myself have cut the cord. I'd gladly pay $20/mo. to also get TBS, TNT and Food Network.

Next MLB needs to work on getting in-market live games on MLB.TV.

(01-06-2015 11:52 AM)RedRocker Wrote:  

(01-06-2015 11:45 AM)Bearcatnips Wrote:  ESPN currently receives around $6 a month per subscriber from cable companies.

Yeah, ESPN will still be making out ok with this new deal.

But this deal excludes streaming for conference programming. I currently use Roku and stream some programming from AAC Network for FREE. If cable and this new service drops the Big Ten Network or will deliver for an additional $5.00 per subcriber, what effect would that have for that conference network? The Big Ten is making a lot of money from cable due to bundling. If the Big Ten Network is dropped from the cable bundle, they will have to stream online to a much more limited audience than they currently command.

NY Times story on Sling TV

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/06/busine....html?_r=0