ESPN Layoffs

#201
#201
tennrich1 said:
If you ever wonder how we got to the place we are now read some of the incredible naivety here. It's still staggering to realize there's a segment of society that still has no clue what's really going on. I try not to be terribly hard on them because there was a time I walked in complete ignorance and immaturity as well. What's the ole saying..."when I was 21 I was a blind bleeding heart liberal but at the age of 41 I was a wide eyed rock solid conservative"....
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I've seen it:

"If you aren't a liberal in your 20's, you have no heart. And, if you aren't a conservative in your 40's, you have no brain"
 
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#203
#203
jakez4ut said:
the cutting the cord has little to do with it. since most cable/satellite providers include ESPN and some variance of it's sister networks in their packages. ESPN is guaranteed revenue just because people pay their bills.

even those that have cut it and go to an internet provider, like sling, you still have to pay for that service, and yes, ESPN is included, so revenue from subscribers isn't the issue.

i would say the negative impact of folks cutting the cord completely and just opting out completely on some form of a basic cable/internet TV package is minimal.

the issue is ratings. people are changing the channel, and yes, getting their content elsewhere. and advertisers are taking notice and either pulling spots, or demanding cheaper prices.

and that's affecting them more than anything else. when you pay top dollar for CFB, NFL, NBA, and your advertising revenue takes a hit (when it should be going the other way as a result of that content they've paid for), the cost/benefit gets out of whack, and decisions have to be made.

and bad news for ESPN employees....those contracts with the big time sports are pretty iron clad.
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You're assuming that the majority of cord cutters are ESPN fans, they aren't. I'll simplify the numbers so it makes more sense. Say there are 100 people that subscribe to cable or dish. ESPN gets money from all 100 of those people. Then 30 people decide the costs are too high so they cut the cord. Of those 30 only 5 care about like sports so they sign up for Sling or PlayStation Vue. Now ESPN is only getting money from 75 people. Surveys of cable customers have shown that access to live sports is one of the main reasons they haven't cut the cord. This means the majority of cord cutters won't go looking for an ESPN substitute because they didn't care about it in the first place.
 
#205
#205
bigdaddy said:
May I add the business model is a failure as well. The lost 25 million alone for the last MNF game. Their primary source of revenue is they get 7% of every cable/satellite bill in America whether you watch it or not. Now people are cord cutting and streaming and they are losing money. Also, the political agenda at ESPN has turned many viewers away. People look to sports as an escape and don't want politics in sports.
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They especially don't want liberal loon race baiting police hating politics in sports.
 
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#207
#207
Andy Katz and Britt McHenry (who 2 years ago trashed the towing yard attendant) just got dumped by ESPN... neither makes me shed a tear by the way.
 
#208
#208
08Vol said:
You're assuming that the majority of cord cutters are ESPN fans, they aren't. I'll simplify the numbers so it makes more sense. Say there are 100 people that subscribe to cable or dish. ESPN gets money from all 100 of those people. Then 30 people decide the costs are too high so they cut the cord. Of those 30 only 5 care about like sports so they sign up for Sling or PlayStation Vue. Now ESPN is only getting money from 75 people. Surveys of cable customers have shown that access to live sports is one of the main reasons they haven't cut the cord. This means the majority of cord cutters won't go looking for an ESPN substitute because they didn't care about it in the first place.
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Yeah I kinda addressed some of that in another post. Poor wording on my part.

All that to say.... cord cutters aren't THE ONLY issue...
 
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#209
#209
I'm just so tired of entertainers (whether sports, music, TV, movies, whatever) feeling they have this right and obligation to make the rest of us aware of their political or social leanings.

If you're a movie star, stay in character. When you're not in character, be an ordinary human being and shut up about the politics. If you're a musician, make great music, then be a normal person in between gigs. If you're an athlete, wow us on the field and leave all the baggage outside the stadium.

There is not a single thing in their training and experience that makes any entertainer a particularly astute social scientist or political philosopher.

That's all we're really asking for, is for folks to stop thinking fame comes with a right or obligation to enlighten the rest of us to their viewpoints on things outside their career field.
 
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#211
#211
05_never_again said:
Don't believe so. There isn't a way to get ESPN without subscribing to a cable/satellite provider either.
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You can split the costs of DirecTV with family. So let's say you get DirecTV. Your immediate family (brothers and sisters) pay you a yearly lump sum.

They download the apps and watch all the sports. ESPN gets a third of the revenue.

Or you can download sport packages and use a VPN to make the package think you are outside your local area. Then just screen cast using a Roku.
 
#212
#212
ESPN did a poll asking their viewers what they wanted to improve for the channel. Number one answer "Stick to sports"

ESPN responds: No we won't.

I think they should be prepared for more layoffs in the future.
 
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#215
#215
VolsSportsFan said:
We need a 3rd set of alternative facts.
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I-am-not-saying.jpg



How's that?
 
#218
#218
TNinSC said:
It would turn into a race thing if he was fired. And that comment what because of his history of conversation topics and stances.
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Wtf. No it wouldn't.

I assume ESPN knows who their popular personalities are. Just bc we don't like him doesn't mean there is some racial conspiracy.
 
#219
#219
bamawriter said:
So, just to be clear, you believe that there are sports fans who stopped watching sports because of liberal bias in ESPN's non-sports content?
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I have zero idea how widespread it is, but as God as my witness, this is what I did. And it honestly isn't driven by any particular viewpoint or agenda. It's just that sports, to me, is entertainment. I have a very stressful job (like most I would guess) and just want to chill and watch a game or whatever. It honestly got to the point where ESPN just wasn't fun anymore. For me at least, it really was that simple. And what ESPN is going to find out, I think, is that once viewers change their habits-even for just one season- it's a hell of a lot harder to get them back. This past football season me and my family just found other things to do. I still watched our games obviously, but not NEARLY as much of anything else. And it kind of snowballed. I lost interest in my fantasy league I've been in for nearly 10 years. And several of the guys said the same thing. I think the impact of the political stuff is bigger than you seem to think.
 
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#220
#220
why would you get rid of Steven A? 1st take is the best show that's on ESPN..He draws ratings because people like to hear what he has to say..He may be wrong sometime but he be knowing what he be talking about..Its easy to replace Trent Dilfer..
 
#222
#222
jamesthesame said:
You can split the costs of DirecTV with family. So let's say you get DirecTV. Your immediate family (brothers and sisters) pay you a yearly lump sum.

They download the apps and watch all the sports. ESPN gets a third of the revenue.

Or you can download sport packages and use a VPN to make the package think you are outside your local area. Then just screen cast using a Roku.
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But somebody, somewhere, is paying for a cable or satellite subscription. There is no way to pay for WatchESPN, for example, a la carte. Somebody has to have a subscription. The VPN trick is too inside baseball and won't be taken up by large segments of the market.

They can (and will) eventually crack down on sharing subscriptions with friends/family, so that takes care of the cost splitting, but either way ESPN is still on the wrong side of where the industry is going.
 
#223
#223
05_never_again said:
ESPN is still on the wrong side of where the industry is going.
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What really sucks for ESPN is that they have the infrastructure in place to offer stand-alone streaming or a la carte options, but they can't do it under their current contracts. They have no choice but to take their lumps for the next few years. Then they have the option of not re-upping their current deals, which would allow them offer direct services to cord cutters.
 
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#224
#224
What ESPN just did after Mixon's pick is why they are losing subscribers. What a bunch of ****.
 
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