I am reading they are going to fire many of their TV personalities. They are losing millions of dollars. It looks like they are circling their wagons around the P5.

Conferences likes CUSA are not going to be able to depend on TV money as we thought a few years ago. The time is fast approaching for G5 and basketball centric conferences to realign once again into more regional conferences , for travel purposes and promotional reasons.

This is so dumb. They had their most profitable year ever. The business is changing, but they are king and still finding ways to diversify and dominate

Let me guess divide and thrive by setting the Texas schools free.

(03-10-2017 11:49 PM)JCMiner Wrote:  Let me guess divide and thrive by setting the Texas schools free.

Let's just see if they start a wholesale firing of TV personalities. I didn't mention divide and thrive in this post but you know.

My guess is it will really be a mix of cutting some bigger salaries, and laying other folks off. I read one report from the LA Times (link below) that ESPN has 1,000 on-air employees between TV, radio and podcasters, but the number of people who will be cut hasn't been announced yet.

Apparently ESPN is having a really significant issue with subscriber bleeding and the cord-cutting issue that has been going for years but suddenly seems to be freaking out investors in parent company, Disney, or something. They supposedly lost more than 1 million subscribers over a two-month period last year. My understanding, from some other reports that I've seen, is they charge cable companies a way higher subscriber fee than other sports networks and the cable providers are now like "Uh we can offer cheaper packages and maybe reduce some of our own cord-cutting issues if we drop pricey ESPN."

As for the "Power 5," I'm not sure all five of those conferences are safe if ESPN has to keep making cuts. The flip side from what I've heard is that ESPN also spends far more than the other sports networks do on broadcasting rights for college athletic conference and pro sports leagues.

It could be that we'll see the P5 become a "Power Two" or "Power Three" in ESPN's eyes and the other P5 conferences could end up being some sort of semi-middle tier between the SECs of the world and the CUSAs of the world.

Who knows though.

http://www.latimes.com/business/hollywoo...story.html

Oh, there will definitely be a middle tier of college football. And what many of these P5 programs don't realize is how many of them are going to be in it.

I can get Espn and a ton of other good channels on sling for 20.00 a month. I can stream most of the major networks on apps that the networks provide. I have an antenna to watch any live sports that is on in my area.

If you live in an area within 50 miles of where the networks have a tower, there is no reason to have cable or a dish or uverse.

The other networks are losing subscribers as well (TNT, fx, amc, etc) as well, but they don't have billions of dollars in contracts to pay out over the next 15 years.

Espn can't branch out because the cable companies and direct and dish will cut them off which will destroy a motor source of revenue, and the cable companies can't afford to dump ESpn because those who have cable want them. Watching them slowly bleed out is going to fascinating.

ESPN needs to get wise and offer their own bundle kit of all their brands and channels ALA Netflix for $10 to $15 per month streaming.

(03-11-2017 11:02 AM)rileylives Wrote:  ESPN needs to get wise and offer their own bundle kit of all their brands and channels ALA Netflix for $10 to $15 per month streaming.

They do this and the cable and satellite companies stop paying 6.90 (or however much they get per household) a piece per month. I'm not sure how sling does it.
Espn is really in a pickle.

(03-11-2017 11:27 AM)Tintin Wrote:  

(03-11-2017 11:02 AM)rileylives Wrote:  ESPN needs to get wise and offer their own bundle kit of all their brands and channels ALA Netflix for $10 to $15 per month streaming.

They do this and the cable and satellite companies stop paying 6.90 (or however much they get per household) a piece per month. I'm not sure how sling does it.
Espn is really in a pickle.

We'll, yes and no...

Cable/satellite still carry HBO as an option and their HBO GO is like $20 per month streaming. WWE carried by USA is $10 per month streaming...

Just examples...

Good!