Less money for league contracts might lead to reorganizing leagues/conferences back to regionality.

(04-26-2017 03:24 PM)bearcat72 Wrote:  Less money for league contracts might lead to reorganizing leagues/conferences back to regionality.

I think this is where it's heading anyways. Travel expenses right now are ridiculous for some programs.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk

It will be very interesting to see what ESPN does next. They have repeatedly refused to provide an avenue to full programming via a direct streaming account and have very recently said that they only intend to provide supplementary programming via a direct streaming option. Do they remain on this hill or relent and offer a direct streaming package? If the latter, there is a chance they might be able to reverse their fortunes. If they decide to stick with their cable model, how quickly will cord cutting accelerate and how long will they be able to stick it out before they start having to shed agreements with conferences (or default on them)? They're getting a pretty good deal on the American Athletic Conference, but not so much on ACC and others.

If ESPN is having issues, how long until Fox Sports and CBS (Viacom) follow suit?

Fox and cbs don't have near the contracts commitments and they also have stand alone networks that are over the air so they don't need to be part of any cable package.

(04-26-2017 01:52 PM)BeerCat Wrote:  

(04-26-2017 01:42 PM)bearcatmark Wrote:  This isn't a trend unique to ESPN. It's the diluting of cable viewership and the cord cutting from many. If ESPN was the only station having these issues I'd buy the political BS. It's not. ESPN needing to readjust its business model has been obvious to anyone who follows the direction that TV is going.

The Right Wing Attack dogs love to call anyone who stands up for minority rights SJWs and love to bring it into every type of conversation regardless of what is going on. Newsflash... it's not right wing people bailing on ESPN. People like me watch far less than ever before as well. too many better alternatives out there unless we are talking live sports. I'd rather DVR the many great episodes of TV off many stations... or hell like many other people on the left I know, cut the cord altogether.

Mark I think you have developed an instinct while posting on this board to over defend the left. My social beliefs are incredibly liberal but to deny that people who are tuning in expecting sports talk and instead getting social/political talk rammed down their throat has not led to a decline in viewership is ridiculous. Hell I'll even stay away from social and political stuff, I got tired of turning on sportscenter and seeing 15 minutes of make a wish bull ****. It's great that players are doing charitable things like that but I honestly don't give a ****. I want sports. It's pretty simple.

I'm sorry, but the default on this board is to immediately blame anything and everything on the mythical "left." As someone who has voted for major candidates in both major political parties (including voting republican for president in the primary in the desperate hopes of having a presidential candidate I felt good about and in the Ohio Senate Race this past election) it cracks me up reading the constant attack on the left on this board and then me get called out when I don't want to make everything about politics. It's easy to come off as a lefty when the constant refrain on the board is anti government and everything (education, science, media, hell now sports media) is some vast left wing conspiracy.

(04-26-2017 03:46 PM)BeerCat Wrote:  Fox and cbs don't have near the contracts commitments and they also have stand alone networks that are over the air so they don't need to be part of any cable package.

True, but Fox Sports and the Big 10 network has largely valued their contract based on the number of cable subscribers in their schools' areas. What happens when Rutgers continues to sit in the cellar of the conference and people in NY (who were probably not watching in the first place) start to cut the cord en masse? I won't be upset if that shoe drops.

I think CBS is exempt from this as you say, but Viacom also benefits from cable subscriptions with their other networks.

I've been saying for several years that ESPN was in bad shape. They are a drag on Disney's earnings. The day of reckoning isn't here yet, but it is on the way.

Disney needs to pretty ESPN up and do it quickly. When I say pretty it up, I am talking about both earnings and cash flow.

There are more changes to come. It is inevitable.

(04-26-2017 03:31 PM)Cataclysmo Wrote:  

(04-26-2017 03:24 PM)bearcat72 Wrote:  Less money for league contracts might lead to reorganizing leagues/conferences back to regionality.

I think this is where it's heading anyways. Travel expenses right now are ridiculous for some programs.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk

Agreed. I think it's heading that way as well.

(04-26-2017 01:17 PM)Marcus Wrote:  And Jamele Hill remains employed. ESPN just doesn't get it. And why in the world isn't their President or any of the executives on the chopping block?

That show is unwatchable. Like the WNBA, it's awful no matter how much they force it down people's throats.

I no longer turn on ESPN for anything but games I have a real interest in. I used to watch about any game that was on if I had the boob tube on but their unending loop of idiotic commercials make me grind my teeth.

My wife never watched any ESPN... ever. ESPN used to make $7.00 plus a month off people like her who never even watched the station because that's what they charged cable companies and cable companies put it in every package. A lot of the first cord cutters were people like my wife who didn't care about live sports. The fact is their model was built on subscriber fees and now they have to adjust the model.

(04-26-2017 11:16 AM)crex043 Wrote:  Jim Bowden, too.

That's a shame.

(04-26-2017 01:52 PM)BeerCat Wrote:  

(04-26-2017 01:42 PM)bearcatmark Wrote:  This isn't a trend unique to ESPN. It's the diluting of cable viewership and the cord cutting from many. If ESPN was the only station having these issues I'd buy the political BS. It's not. ESPN needing to readjust its business model has been obvious to anyone who follows the direction that TV is going.

The Right Wing Attack dogs love to call anyone who stands up for minority rights SJWs and love to bring it into every type of conversation regardless of what is going on. Newsflash... it's not right wing people bailing on ESPN. People like me watch far less than ever before as well. too many better alternatives out there unless we are talking live sports. I'd rather DVR the many great episodes of TV off many stations... or hell like many other people on the left I know, cut the cord altogether.

Mark I think you have developed an instinct while posting on this board to over defend the left. My social beliefs are incredibly liberal but to deny that people who are tuning in expecting sports talk and instead getting social/political talk rammed down their throat has not led to a decline in viewership is ridiculous. Hell I'll even stay away from social and political stuff, I got tired of turning on sportscenter and seeing 15 minutes of make a wish bull ****. It's great that players are doing charitable things like that but I honestly don't give a ****. I want sports. It's pretty simple.

This x10. If I want to watch touching stories I'll tune into Lifetime. Cut the bs filler and social commentary and just show sports or I'll find other avenues to dial in. And millions more people every month are doing just that.

ESPIN has misplayed this terribly.

Dang, they got rid of Len Elmore and kept some of the dreck they did?

(04-26-2017 03:48 PM)bearcatmark Wrote:  

(04-26-2017 01:52 PM)BeerCat Wrote:  

(04-26-2017 01:42 PM)bearcatmark Wrote:  This isn't a trend unique to ESPN. It's the diluting of cable viewership and the cord cutting from many. If ESPN was the only station having these issues I'd buy the political BS. It's not. ESPN needing to readjust its business model has been obvious to anyone who follows the direction that TV is going.

The Right Wing Attack dogs love to call anyone who stands up for minority rights SJWs and love to bring it into every type of conversation regardless of what is going on. Newsflash... it's not right wing people bailing on ESPN. People like me watch far less than ever before as well. too many better alternatives out there unless we are talking live sports. I'd rather DVR the many great episodes of TV off many stations... or hell like many other people on the left I know, cut the cord altogether.

Mark I think you have developed an instinct while posting on this board to over defend the left. My social beliefs are incredibly liberal but to deny that people who are tuning in expecting sports talk and instead getting social/political talk rammed down their throat has not led to a decline in viewership is ridiculous. Hell I'll even stay away from social and political stuff, I got tired of turning on sportscenter and seeing 15 minutes of make a wish bull ****. It's great that players are doing charitable things like that but I honestly don't give a ****. I want sports. It's pretty simple.

I'm sorry, but the default on this board is to immediately blame anything and everything on the mythical "left." As someone who has voted for major candidates in both major political parties (including voting republican for president in the primary in the desperate hopes of having a presidential candidate I felt good about and in the Ohio Senate Race this past election) it cracks me up reading the constant attack on the left on this board and then me get called out when I don't want to make everything about politics. It's easy to come off as a lefty when the constant refrain on the board is anti government and everything (education, science, media, hell now sports media) is some vast left wing conspiracy.

Love you brother but I'm playing the worlds smallest violin for you.

You are better than the puffy lower lip schtick.

link

Great article by Clay Travis. Pretty much sums up ESPN's disastrous business model. Way too big, top many shows, and too far left. How many channels does ESPN operate now? They would be better off airing live international sports during the day that instead of dreck they trot out every day.

(04-26-2017 06:14 PM)bearcatmark Wrote:  My wife never watched any ESPN... ever. ESPN used to make $7.00 plus a month off people like her who never even watched the station because that's what they charged cable companies and cable companies put it in every package. A lot of the first cord cutters were people like my wife who didn't care about live sports. The fact is their model was built on subscriber fees and now they have to adjust the model.

That is absolutely true. The model was dependent on a ton of people paying money for something they never watched or cared about.

ESPN isn't the only network this is true for though. It is fundamental to the bundled package model. ESPN just had the most insanely high per subscriber rate.

And yet they still lost people like me who still pay for a high tier package. I don't watch espn for sports news ever. I only watch live events. I used to watch espn a lot. They became politicized and annoying and yes LEFT LEANING. So I stopped watching.

Cord cutting has been a big deal. They threw gasoline in their fire by trying to grab politicized controversial dialogue. Didn't work.

(04-26-2017 10:22 PM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  Dang, they got rid of Len Elmore and kept some of the dreck they did?

Just goes to show you... @$$holes are in.

(04-26-2017 01:17 PM)Marcus Wrote:  And Jamele Hill remains employed. ESPN just doesn't get it. And why in the world isn't their President or any of the executives on the chopping block?

Best post in here especially about the execs. Been wondering the same.

ESPN should have the following:

- Sportscenter 4x a day. Only sports talk, no fluff.
- Sports. Darts, soccer, curling.....all good. Show sports.

It's not hard.

I would like to think that one reason for the ESPN cable cutting is a some what a result of talking about the same schools ad nausea. the fans of the other 60 G5 schools who get little or no coverage get tired of hearing about Alabama etc etc, You know the teams. There is really no reason to tune in ESPN because there G5 teams or conference will not be talked about. ESPN off season coverage is just about 15 schools mostly from the SEC, Big 10nand ACC which now have there own network which covers teams in there league. So why subscribe to espn when you have your own network. I tend to think espn has cannibalized it self by adding these competing networks where they may receive a smaller cut if any from them.
Of course we all know espn paid way to much money to those 5 conferences while short changing other schools. Even the TV ratings are tilted. We all know that watching Northwestern, Purdue, Rutgers, Vanderbilt, Kentucky football games put the nation on the edge of our seats. ESPN has created its own monster and it killing them. My thoughts what is yours.