https://www.cnbc.com/2017/08/08/disney-w...vices.html

Starting ESPN streaming service in early 2018.

Starting own Disney streaming service and pulling content from Netflix

NOTE: Watching the interview on CNBC. The streaming service WILL NOT be the linear ESPN channel.
The are going to have 1 app that will show sports scores, ESPN Linear channel (by logging in via the cable/Sat/OTT subscription) and the streaming service will show other sports content at a subscription. Bob Iger mention that are not going to have the ESPN Linear channels as a separate subscription but the streaming service will provide a transition should they decide to have the ESPN linear channels as part of the streaming service.

The streaming service will have some MLB, NHL, MLS and some college sports programming.

I wonder what content will be on this

They can't pull too much from ESPN 3 as the isps are already paying ESPN for that content

(08-08-2017 03:40 PM)solohawks Wrote:  I wonder what content will be on this

(08-08-2017 03:40 PM)solohawks Wrote:  I wonder what content will be on this

They can't pull too much from ESPN 3 as the isps are already paying ESPN for that content

I dont know that they will be "pulling" anything from there. What I suspect it will be a basically a "sampler" platter from the the ESPN/ESPN2/ESPN3/ABC/ESPN-U productions along with some very low end content that perhaps is not even purchased yet.

I know in the last MLS contract ESPN secured the right to stream out of market games. So far they have not taken advantage of this right but I could see this new service being the mechanism to do so.

This could be huge going forward. Disney has enough content to cater to the whole family including sports, so so could this being a attractive OTT service

(08-08-2017 03:19 PM)MWC Tex Wrote:  Bob Iger mention that are not going to have the ESPN Linear channels as a separate subscription but the streaming service will provide a transition should they decide to have the ESPN linear channels as part of the streaming service.

In other words, the traditional ESPN channels are not available as a separate subscription right now, but the infrastructure will be there so that they can start selling ESPN channels direct-to-consumer at any time.

It's a club over the head of the cable/satellite companies in addition to good preparation for whatever direction the marketplace takes. If the cable/satellite suits try to squeeze ESPN on the monthly per-subscriber fees, or screw ESPN by leaving ESPN channels out of their "skinny bundles", or if they can't slow down their own loss of customers -- they've lost about 15% in the last six years -- then ESPN now has the tech in place to "cut the cord".

Today is a good day to own a major league baseball franchise. Each MLB franchise will be getting another $53 million out of Disney's purchase of a larger share of BAMTech.

(08-08-2017 05:08 PM)Wedge Wrote:  

(08-08-2017 03:19 PM)MWC Tex Wrote:  Bob Iger mention that are not going to have the ESPN Linear channels as a separate subscription but the streaming service will provide a transition should they decide to have the ESPN linear channels as part of the streaming service.

In other words, the traditional ESPN channels are not available as a separate subscription right now, but the infrastructure will be there so that they can start selling ESPN channels direct-to-consumer at any time.

It's a club over the head of the cable/satellite companies in addition to good preparation for whatever direction the marketplace takes. If the cable/satellite suits try to squeeze ESPN on the monthly per-subscriber fees, or screw ESPN by leaving ESPN channels out of their "skinny bundles", or if they can't slow down their own loss of customers -- they've lost about 15% in the last six years -- then ESPN now has the tech in place to "cut the cord".

Today is a good day to own a major league baseball franchise. Each MLB franchise will be getting another $53 million out of Disney's purchase of a larger share of BAMTech.

Which I think is most likely to happen. Cable companies will offer the skinny bundles even if it takes not having ESPN to keep the 80% of customers who don't watch sports on ESPN or other cable sports channels to stay in business.
The customer leaving aren't the sports watchers.

Despite being the league with the craziest blackout rules MLB has done a tremendous job in this OTT era. One of the most successful investments in sports business history

This was already posted months ago on here.

It's second rate content, through and through.

You're never going to get access to live broadcasts of top tier content (stuff people actually want to watch) outside of a bundle subscription.


Yeah sure, the infrastructure is there ...... just like you can install a bomb shelter in your basement in case the N Koreans attack.

(08-08-2017 06:03 PM)MplsBison Wrote:  This was already posted months ago on here.

It's second rate content, through and through.

You're never going to get access to live broadcasts of top tier content (stuff people actually want to watch) outside of a bundle subscription.


Yeah sure, the infrastructure is there ...... just like you can install a bomb shelter in your basement in case the N Koreans attack.

Did you read the press release?

(08-08-2017 06:48 PM)PGEMF Wrote:  

(08-08-2017 06:03 PM)MplsBison Wrote:  This was already posted months ago on here.

It's second rate content, through and through.

You're never going to get access to live broadcasts of top tier content (stuff people actually want to watch) outside of a bundle subscription.


Yeah sure, the infrastructure is there ...... just like you can install a bomb shelter in your basement in case the N Koreans attack.

Did you read the press release?

It's more fun to not and just blast people for trying to save money

(08-08-2017 05:20 PM)solohawks Wrote:  Despite being the league with the craziest blackout rules MLB has done a tremendous job in this OTT era. One of the most successful investments in sports business history

Absolutely. And they'll make even more if Disney eventually buys the rest of BAMTech.

It's too early to abandon broadcast/cable distribution. However, I can see them slowly adding products to the streaming service. Eventually they will have all of their services there.

Disney has a huge catalog available for streaming including Disney, Lucasfilm, Touchstone, ABC, A&E, ESPN, History Channel, Lifetime and Marvel.

There was a time when Disney could add $100 million to their bottom line by dusting off a classic light Snow White and re-releasing it. Now they can just add it to their streaming service.

Reading the press release it sounds like ESPN has deals to show out of market games currently in MLB, MLB, and NBC out of market streaming packages. Also sounds like they will be moving their ESPN3 tennis extra court coverage to this new service

(08-08-2017 07:31 PM)Wolfman Wrote:  It's too early to abandon broadcast/cable distribution. However, I can see them slowly adding products to the streaming service. Eventually they will have all of their services there.

Disney has a huge catalog available for streaming including Disney, Lucasfilm, Touchstone, ABC, A&E, ESPN, History Channel, Lifetime and Marvel.

There was a time when Disney could add $100 million to their bottom line by dusting off a classic light Snow White and re-releasing it. Now they can just add it to their streaming service.

Now they can re-release an old Disney movie & re-release a super hero movie.

(08-08-2017 06:48 PM)PGEMF Wrote:  Did you read the press release?

Yes. As I said, this "news" that ESPN is going to offer a streaming service -- containing mostly second-rate content, and not the actual channel itself -- was already posted on here months ago. May have even been by MWC Tex himself ... actually wouldn't be surprised, as he is the board's main cord-cutter ideologist, advocate, and reporter.

But no ... we should definitely have a new thread on it. Multiple, actually. One in the P5 board too.

(08-08-2017 10:45 PM)TrojanCampaign Wrote:  Now they can re-release an old Disney movie & re-release a super hero movie.

Sorry, rant time: this putrid era/regime of making every new movie based on a comic book character ... and then exhausting every mathematical combination of them in the same "new" movie ... can't DIE soon enough.

/rant