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  1. #21
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Mount Kisco, NY
    Quote Originally Posted by kAzE View Post
    Wow . . . Sage Steele out and Beadle gets to stay? What kind of f'ed up logic is that? Must have been money related . . .
    ESPN wants hot takes, no matter the content, and what's hotter than saying someone should punch someone else? As for Steele, looks like they actually have big plans for her...for now

    http://nypost.com/2017/04/17/sage-st...-espn-shakeup/

  2. #22
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
    Location
    Dallas, TX
    Quote Originally Posted by Troublemaker View Post
    I know I should already know this, and I'm sure it's been discussed on DBR before, but this is basically the result of cord-cutters, right?

    If a bunch of personalities I don't like end up getting cut, I might have to look into this cord-cutting. Do my part and pitch in, you know?
    Partly, but the main reason is a huge increase in the cost of broadcast rights for major sports leagues. ESPN has to pay the NFL/NBA/MLB etc. for the right to broadcast their games, and these fees have grown dramatically over the past 2 years. Remember the source of the huge salary cap increase in the NBA? It was TV money.

  3. #23
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Boston, MA
    Quote Originally Posted by Troublemaker View Post
    I know I should already know this, and I'm sure it's been discussed on DBR before, but this is basically the result of cord-cutters, right?

    If a bunch of personalities I don't like end up getting cut, I might have to look into this cord-cutting. Do my part and pitch in, you know?
    Not just cord-cutters. Cost base is just way too high. Tons of competition that have picked up their game over the last 4-5 years. Disney looking to grow margins.

    A decade ago, ESPN accounted for 50% of Disney's bottomline. That's insane! Today, it's probably a lot less.
    Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfils the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things. - Winston Churchill

    President of the "Nolan Smith Should Have His Jersey in The Rafters" Club

  4. #24
    Quote Originally Posted by Owen Meany View Post
    Honestly didn't realize there were that many on air personalities at ESPN.hate for anyone to lose their job. Except for the lady who said someone needed to knock Grayson Allen out.
    If a female said someone needed to "knock Grayson Allen out" should she be called a "lady"?

  5. #25
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    New York, NY
    Quote Originally Posted by Troublemaker View Post
    I know I should already know this, and I'm sure it's been discussed on DBR before, but this is basically the result of cord-cutters, right?

    If a bunch of personalities I don't like end up getting cut, I might have to look into this cord-cutting. Do my part and pitch in, you know?
    It is. It's the tip of the iceberg, but the writing has been on the wall for quite some time. ESPN will soon go full-on direct-to-consumer via it's ESPN app, which they created about 3 years ago as a logical progression from ESPN360.com (which has since been rebranded to ESPN3.com).

    They've been posturing for this for a while. And their hand will soon be forced. More than a handful of programming outlets have already adopted paid direct-to-consumer options as part of their offering (HBO, Showtime, CBS, to name a few).

    We've discussed it a lot around here (I know I have, because I'm interested). Here is Lotusland's theory from the most recent thread I could dig up. Maybe his/her theory is just starting to come to pass?!

    - Chillin

  6. #26
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    New York, NY
    Quote Originally Posted by kAzE View Post
    Partly, but the main reason is a huge increase in the cost of broadcast rights for major sports leagues. ESPN has to pay the NFL/NBA/MLB etc. for the right to broadcast their games, and these fees have grown dramatically over the past 2 years. Remember the source of the huge salary cap increase in the NBA? It was TV money.
    Right, but it's all intertwined. TV money (such as ESPN) paid because they were in the tail of the seemingly never-ending stream of revenue increases. ESPN revenues are now dropping or at least not increasing as dramatically, but their costs are inked in by the contracts they cut. In a nutshell, we're watching an "ESPN Recession."

    - Chillin

  7. #27
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Washington, D.C.

    Unfortunately

    Quote Originally Posted by Troublemaker View Post
    I know I should already know this, and I'm sure it's been discussed on DBR before, but this is basically the result of cord-cutters, right?

    If a bunch of personalities I don't like end up getting chopped, I might have to look into this cord-cutting myself. Do my part and pitch in, you know?
    I am given to understand that I must spread the love around before sporking Troublemaker again.

    Not sure I can cut the cord, but I did uninstall the ESPN phone apps after the ridiculous coverage of Grayson this season. Doing my part in small ways.

  8. #28
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
    Location
    Dallas, TX
    Quote Originally Posted by ChillinDuke View Post
    Right, but it's all intertwined. TV money (such as ESPN) paid because they were in the tail of the seemingly never-ending stream of revenue increases. ESPN revenues are now dropping or at least not increasing as dramatically, but their costs are inked in by the contracts they cut. In a nutshell, we're watching an "ESPN Recession."

    - Chillin
    Here's a more detailed explanation:

    The layoffs are an attempt by ESPN to evolve in the wake of a two-headed challenge: a declining subscriber base and skyrocketing rights fees. Over the past five years, the network has lost somewhere around 12 million subscribers as the viewing public looks for cheaper avenues for home entertainment. At the same time, the money ESPN has paid to the professional sports leagues to acquire their live events steadily climbed.

    Last year, the network’s new nine-year agreement with the NBA to televise pro basketball games took effect. The reported cost to ESPN: somewhere around $1.5 billion per year, a massive increase over the previous deal. That’s on top of deals the network already had with the NFL ($1.9 billion annually), various NCAA conferences and the College Football Playoff (well over $1 billion), and Major League Baseball ($700 million). Some of those deals will be up for renewal in the not-so-distant future.
    It's basically a combination of dwindling subscriber numbers and increases in costs of their contracts with major sports leagues.

    But let's keep it real: ESPN is still a ratings giant. It's not like they are tanking . . . they just need to work under a tighter budget.

  9. #29
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Steamboat Springs, CO
    Quote Originally Posted by kAzE View Post
    Here's a more detailed explanation:



    It's basically a combination of dwindling subscriber numbers and increases in costs of their contracts with major sports leagues.

    But let's keep it real: ESPN is still a ratings giant. It's not like they are tanking . . . they just need to work under a tighter budget.
    I have heard that a "hu-u-u-u-ge" portion of one's cable or DirecTV payments goes to ESPN (and much then much passed on to the leagues and teams). Does anyone have any numbers on this?
    Last edited by sagegrouse; 04-26-2017 at 11:53 AM. Reason: Grammar
    Sage Grouse

    ---------------------------------------
    'When I got on the bus for my first road game at Duke, I saw that every player was carrying textbooks or laptops. I coached in the SEC for 25 years, and I had never seen that before, not even once.' - David Cutcliffe to Duke alumni in Washington, DC, June 2013

  10. #30
    Quote Originally Posted by kAzE View Post
    Here's a more detailed explanation:



    It's basically a combination of dwindling subscriber numbers and increases in costs of their contracts with major sports leagues.

    But let's keep it real: ESPN is still a ratings giant. It's not like they are tanking . . . they just need to work under a tighter budget.

    I think a lot of it is that they spent ALL their money on stuff that just doesn't generate as much viewing power as a lot of other stuff. They get 1 night of NFL which they paid out the rear end to get. They don't get the NFL Playoffs, they will never get the SuperBowl, they don't get March Madness, they don't get the World Series, they don't get the weekend at the Masters usually. Their biggest ratings come from MNF, the Eastern Conference Finals? Which don't get great ratings, and some college basketball that is relevant nationwide. I know they have Sunday Night Baseball, but national baseball ratings are really low, especially when compared to the regional markets. They spent a huge amount of money to get NBA games, which since it's the fastest growing sport in terms of viewers, seemed like the smart play, but you can only get so many people to tune in to Memphis v. San Antonio. There's no fantasy basketball that's big enough to support the money they spent on the rights to broadcast that game on a Wednesday night in February.

    So the stuff that could net them a ton of straight cash (advertising for the biggest events), they just don't have access to. They also have alienated half the country because they're a REALLY liberal broadcast. I'm totally down with that, but lots of folks didn't like Curt Schilling's getting fired for responding to HB2 the way he did (again, I think that was fire-worthy).
    Whatever the hell "it" is, Jabari found it.

    -Roy "Ole Huck" Williams

  11. #31
    Quote Originally Posted by sagegrouse View Post
    I have heard that a "hu-u-u-u-ge" portion of one's cable or DirecTV payments goes to ESPN (and much then much passed on to the leagues and teams). Does anyone have any numbers on this?
    This is a little old, but best I could come up with. I've read that ESPN is now closer to $7/month and sports channels are $22/month.

    https://blogs.wsj.com/numbers/how-mu...-channel-1626/

  12. #32
    Quote Originally Posted by Dukehky View Post
    I think a lot of it is that they spent ALL their money on stuff that just doesn't generate as much viewing power as a lot of other stuff. They get 1 night of NFL which they paid out the rear end to get. They don't get the NFL Playoffs, they will never get the SuperBowl, they don't get March Madness, they don't get the World Series, they don't get the weekend at the Masters usually. Their biggest ratings come from MNF, the Eastern Conference Finals? Which don't get great ratings, and some college basketball that is relevant nationwide. I know they have Sunday Night Baseball, but national baseball ratings are really low, especially when compared to the regional markets. They spent a huge amount of money to get NBA games, which since it's the fastest growing sport in terms of viewers, seemed like the smart play, but you can only get so many people to tune in to Memphis v. San Antonio. There's no fantasy basketball that's big enough to support the money they spent on the rights to broadcast that game on a Wednesday night in February.

    So the stuff that could net them a ton of straight cash (advertising for the biggest events), they just don't have access to. They also have alienated half the country because they're a REALLY liberal broadcast. I'm totally down with that, but lots of folks didn't like Curt Schilling's getting fired for responding to HB2 the way he did (again, I think that was fire-worthy).
    I think that's simply playing to their audience - sports teams are in major markets, major markets are in urban areas, and the biggest political divide in America is urban v. rural.
       

  13. #33
    Aaron Boone please
       

  14. #34
    In this age of social media and reality TV, ESPN really missed the opportunity for a fantastic sweeps week series where they reveal the leading vote-getters one episode at a time... and axing the rest.
       

  15. #35
    Quote Originally Posted by sagegrouse View Post
    I have heard that a "hu-u-u-u-ge" portion of one's cable or DirecTV payments goes to ESPN (and much then much passed on to the leagues and teams). Does anyone have any numbers on this?
    Not sure what the fees are for others but I get ESPN via Sling for an additional $5 above the initial package I purchased.

  16. #36
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Location
    North of Durham
    They could save a lot of money by getting rid of Stephen A Smith and his baseless, sensationalistic opinions, not having a cast of thousands on NFL pre game shows to each voice 20 seconds of opinions, and not having sideline reporters assigned to meaningless games who are also on air for a few seconds each.

    The question I have regards rights fees and salaries. The dramatic increases in rights fees have driven massive salary increases in sports. As networks such as ESPN increasingly struggle to justify these fees, will the fees start moderating or declining? And this could lead to the moderation and decline in salaries, unless leagues can find other revenue sources. I think the leagues are actively trying to stay ahead of the curve on this, but reality could set in sooner rather than later.
       

  17. #37
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Boston, MA

    Eamonn Brennan gone

    Really like this guy. Thought he had some really nice pieces.

    Source: https://www.si.com/tech-media/2017/0...d-werder-more#
    Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfils the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things. - Winston Churchill

    President of the "Nolan Smith Should Have His Jersey in The Rafters" Club

  18. #38
    Join Date
    Apr 2010
    Location
    Seattle
    Quote Originally Posted by flyingdutchdevil View Post
    Really like this guy. Thought he had some really nice pieces.

    Source: https://www.si.com/tech-media/2017/0...d-werder-more#
    Eamonn was by far my favorite college basketball writer at ESPN. Sad to see him go. Hopefully he lands somewhere that will make full use of his talents.

    I think Zach Lowe and the Le Batard show are about the only two good things ESPN has anymore. Miss the days when they actually showed highlights from games.

  19. #39
    Kannell got axed.
    Whatever the hell "it" is, Jabari found it.

    -Roy "Ole Huck" Williams

  20. #40
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Washington, D.C.

    Yep

    Quote Originally Posted by luburch View Post
    Eamonn was by far my favorite college basketball writer at ESPN. Sad to see him go. Hopefully he lands somewhere that will make full use of his talents.

    I think Zach Lowe and the Le Batard show are about the only two good things ESPN has anymore. Miss the days when they actually showed highlights from games.
    Me too on Eamonn. He's quite good, probably better than ESPN deserves.

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