PDA

View Full Version : Duke on ESPN+



Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15
07-19-2018, 05:03 PM
An eight episode series on ESPN+ entitled "Earn Everything" will follow our team's development this year:

Duke basketball to appear in all-access show this fall (https://es.pn/2JzFD7K) https://es.pn/2JzFD7K

gocanes0506
07-19-2018, 05:38 PM
Im sure this will be fascinating to see but I cannot see getting a subscription for this. espn is straight garbage these days

elvis14
07-19-2018, 06:01 PM
Im sure this will be fascinating to see but I cannot see getting a subscription for this. espn is straight garbage these days

Would the content be available on demand where we could wait for them all to be recorded, subscribe, binge watch, unsubscribe? ESPN really has gone down hill (except for that moment the other night at the ESPY's).

gocanes0506
07-19-2018, 06:38 PM
Would the content be available on demand where we could wait for them all to be recorded, subscribe, binge watch, unsubscribe? ESPN really has gone down hill (except for that moment the other night at the ESPY's).

The Danica opening?

elvis14
07-19-2018, 09:41 PM
The Danica opening?

OK, 2 moments :-)

unclsam1
07-19-2018, 11:51 PM
ESPN+ costs $4.95 per month or $49.99 for an annual subscription.

flyingdutchdevil
07-20-2018, 07:54 AM
ESPN+ costs $4.95 per month or $49.99 for an annual subscription.

So lunch budget for a week?

whereinthehellami
07-20-2018, 07:56 AM
Would the content be available on demand where we could wait for them all to be recorded, subscribe, binge watch, unsubscribe? ESPN really has gone down hill (except for that moment the other night at the ESPY's).

I'm wondering the same thing?

budwom
07-20-2018, 08:03 AM
and ESPN wonders why people are cord cutting...it's not enough that you pay for ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN News...

elvis14
07-20-2018, 08:18 AM
and ESPN wonders why people are cord cutting...it's not enough that you pay for ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN News...

The irony is that I've heard that ESPN charges cable companies a good bit leading to higher cable bills which in turn have people looking to cut the cord.

This is a thing that puts us in an odd spot: either pay ESPN (which we don't want to do) and see 'Earn Everything' or miss 'Earn Everything' (which we don't want to do). Either way we hit a "which we don't want to do" condition.

If ESPN+ is only a few dollars a month, I'm guessing 1 or 2 months subscription would be enough to see all 8 episodes. One other thing I noticed is that the article mentioned the 3 games in Canada will be on ESPN+. Does that mean they will not be available unless we have ESPN+?

Troublemaker
07-20-2018, 09:01 AM
Would the content be available on demand where we could wait for them all to be recorded, subscribe, binge watch, unsubscribe? ESPN really has gone down hill (except for that moment the other night at the ESPY's).


I'm wondering the same thing?

I don't know the answer for sure, either, but it'd be pretty sad for a paid subscription service to not archive their shows. I expect they'll be archiving the 8 Duke episodes for re-watch later. (I think Kobe Bryant and his media company produced some shows for ESPN+. If someone checks and finds that his stuff is still archived on ESPN+, then I think we're golden.)

Indoor66
07-20-2018, 09:02 AM
So lunch budget for a week?

And I recall when the annual cost is about the same as 7 weekly food budgets for 2!

budwom
07-20-2018, 10:40 AM
The irony is that I've heard that ESPN charges cable companies a good bit leading to higher cable bills which in turn have people looking to cut the cord.

This is a thing that puts us in an odd spot: either pay ESPN (which we don't want to do) and see 'Earn Everything' or miss 'Earn Everything' (which we don't want to do). Either way we hit a "which we don't want to do" condition.

If ESPN+ is only a few dollars a month, I'm guessing 1 or 2 months subscription would be enough to see all 8 episodes. One other thing I noticed is that the article mentioned the 3 games in Canada will be on ESPN+. Does that mean they will not be available unless we have ESPN+?

yes, I think ESPN charges cable companies more than any other non premium (e.g. HBO) channel...for years they had humongous demand, now that's changing...I don't mind paying for their basic channels, but expecting me to cough up even more for stuff like ESPN+ is unlikely to bear fruit...

ChillinDuke
07-20-2018, 11:34 AM
yes, I think ESPN charges cable companies more than any other non premium (e.g. HBO) channel...for years they had humongous demand, now that's changing...I don't mind paying for their basic channels, but expecting me to cough up even more for stuff like ESPN+ is unlikely to bear fruit...

Again, this is all part of the gradual plan of shifting over to a fully cordless delivery of programming. ESPN started with WatchESPN (free with cable subscription), then they rebranded it to make it an app, now they have added a new app for "new" content (not standard ESPN content). At some point, they will consolidate all of it and move to a simplified fee structure so that everyone can access all ESPN content on a single app on all connected devices.

Cable television will continue to exist and die a slow death, but the concept will become much clearer and easier to understand when they decide the time is right. And at that time, you'll probably pay for it (not trying to be a smart aleck, but you probably will...)

- Chillin

budwom
07-20-2018, 12:51 PM
Again, this is all part of the gradual plan of shifting over to a fully cordless delivery of programming. ESPN started with WatchESPN (free with cable subscription), then they rebranded it to make it an app, now they have added a new app for "new" content (not standard ESPN content). At some point, they will consolidate all of it and move to a simplified fee structure so that everyone can access all ESPN content on a single app on all connected devices.

Cable television will continue to exist and die a slow death, but the concept will become much clearer and easier to understand when they decide the time is right. And at that time, you'll probably pay for it (not trying to be a smart aleck, but you probably will...)

- Chillin

I don't think it's nearly that simple( "when they decide the time is right"). They get something like $7 billion/yr now from cable TV subscriptions...yes, I agree they'd like to transition that to a bunch of paying apps, but analysts seem to be justifiably skeptical as to how they can pull that off...ESPN's revenue has been steadily declining, hence the recent layoffs. They're trying like crazy to maintain their revenue stream, but it's going to be an uphill battle.

ChillinDuke
07-20-2018, 02:48 PM
I don't think it's nearly that simple( "when they decide the time is right"). They get something like $7 billion/yr now from cable TV subscriptions...yes, I agree they'd like to transition that to a bunch of paying apps, but analysts seem to be justifiably skeptical as to how they can pull that off...ESPN's revenue has been steadily declining, hence the recent layoffs. They're trying like crazy to maintain their revenue stream, but it's going to be an uphill battle.

Well, of course, the financial underbelly of a multi-billion-dollar enterprise owned by Disney is not nearly that simple. But the concept of what they're trying to do with their apps is that simple. The future of television (as we currently define it) requires a la carte services that will be decoupled from these mondo bundles that currently are marketed by cable companies. ESPN is trying to bridge to that decoupling event. A toe in the water if you will. Well, it's more than a toe at this point. But that's the goal.

Now, how ESPN structures their revenue streams and keep "eyeballs" engaged on their product is absolutely a complicated topic and endeavor. But that has little to do with the fact that content providers have to find a medium in which to standalone (from cable companies). At this point, apps appear to be the way. And the big boys in terms of content, of which ESPN is certainly one, will easily find subscribers via an app once their "normal" content is on there for pay (I'll be one, regardless of how much I dislike the direction of the company's content).

- Chillin

budwom
07-20-2018, 03:32 PM
Well, of course, the financial underbelly of a multi-billion-dollar enterprise owned by Disney is not nearly that simple. But the concept of what they're trying to do with their apps is that simple. The future of television (as we currently define it) requires a la carte services that will be decoupled from these mondo bundles that currently are marketed by cable companies. ESPN is trying to bridge to that decoupling event. A toe in the water if you will. Well, it's more than a toe at this point. But that's the goal.

Now, how ESPN structures their revenue streams and keep "eyeballs" engaged on their product is absolutely a complicated topic and endeavor. But that has little to do with the fact that content providers have to find a medium in which to standalone (from cable companies). At this point, apps appear to be the way. And the big boys in terms of content, of which ESPN is certainly one, will easily find subscribers via an app once their "normal" content is on there for pay (I'll be one, regardless of how much I dislike the direction of the company's content).

- Chillin

I largely agree...but while they will find subscribers (as you say) I think it's becoming rather clear that they won't be finding nearly as many subscribers as they did before, app or no app. A lot of people aren't as interested in watching sports, period. And I question a solution whereby they want someone like me (who already pays for a bunch of their content) to pay even more via espn+.
They're experiencing a bad trend for which they don't have a great solution.

jacone21
07-20-2018, 04:01 PM
I don't think it's nearly that simple( "when they decide the time is right"). They get something like $7 billion/yr now from cable TV subscriptions...yes, I agree they'd like to transition that to a bunch of paying apps, but analysts seem to be justifiably skeptical as to how they can pull that off...ESPN's revenue has been steadily declining, hence the recent layoffs. They're trying like crazy to maintain their revenue stream, but it's going to be an uphill battle.

Just wait until the same cable companies, who own 2/3 of the ISP market, start charging ESPN billions for access to their networks and customers. Talk about a paradigm shift.

"We're sorry. That content is not available on Xfinity at this time."

budwom
07-20-2018, 04:05 PM
Just wait until the same cable companies, who own 2/3 of the ISP market, start charging ESPN billions for access to their networks and customers. Talk about a paradigm shift.

"We're sorry. That content is not available on Xfinity at this time."

absolutely....

MartyClark
07-20-2018, 09:54 PM
An eight episode series on ESPN+ entitled "Earn Everything" will follow our team's development this year:

Duke basketball to appear in all-access show this fall (https://es.pn/2JzFD7K) https://es.pn/2JzFD7K

I'll watch/pay for this. I'm interested in getting a peek behind the curtain. Could be interesting.

Pghdukie
07-20-2018, 10:07 PM
Being that the games are being held in Canada, is it possible thru the WWW to bypass ESPN and get the feed (albeit, for a smaller fee) thru TSN or another feed ?

-jk
07-20-2018, 10:11 PM
I'll watch/pay for this. I'm interested in getting a peek behind the curtain. Could be interesting.

I suspect it won't be a truly authentic peek behind the curtain, but rather a more curated one. K is a master of the message...

-jk

MartyClark
07-21-2018, 04:50 AM
I suspect it won't be a truly authentic peek behind the curtain, but rather a more curated one. K is a master of the message...

-jk

True, I'm still interested though.

sagegrouse
07-21-2018, 08:16 AM
True, I'm still interested though.

Me too.

As one whose view of TV ir rooted in the "aught decade," will ESPN+ be available via DirecTV or Dish, or will it be purely a streaming service -- via what Service -- Roku, etc.? Heck, it says "all-access" -- what does that mean? No, I am not going to watch anything on my phone.

hallcity
07-21-2018, 11:19 AM
I'm paying for cable. That gets me the rest of ESPN on the app. Does it get ESPN+? I don't see why it wouldn't but I haven't heard for sure.

richardjackson199
07-21-2018, 11:44 AM
I'm paying for cable. That gets me the rest of ESPN on the app. Does it get ESPN+? I don't see why it wouldn't but I haven't heard for sure.

No it doesn't. You'd still have to pay the extra subscription fee to get ESPN+

No thanks, for now.

hallcity
07-21-2018, 12:22 PM
No it doesn't. You'd still have to pay the extra subscription fee to get ESPN+

No thanks, for now.

That sucks. It’s like they’re trying to drive me off cable, which I ought to leave anyway.

budwom
07-21-2018, 12:40 PM
That sucks. It’s like they’re trying to drive me off cable, which I ought to leave anyway.

that was pretty much our earlier discussion on this thread...I pay quite a bit to get the various ESPN cable channels, i'm NOT one of the guys who has cut the cord, yet they want to get more blood out of me via espn+. Not gonna happen. I can't speak for the other hundreds of millions who have cable, but the more they siphon off content from the regular ESPN channels (to espn+ type stuff) the more apt I am to
cut the cord.

kmspeaks
07-21-2018, 01:00 PM
that was pretty much our earlier discussion on this thread...I pay quite a bit to get the various ESPN cable channels, i'm NOT one of the guys who has cut the cord, yet they want to get more blood out of me via espn+. Not gonna happen. I can't speak for the other hundreds of millions who have cable, but the more they siphon off content from the regular ESPN channels (to espn+ type stuff) the more apt I am to
cut the cord.

This is where, at least as far as I'm concerned, ESPN has overestimated the value of their programming. I'm willing to pay via the cable company or I would pay ESPN directly the way I can HBO but I'm not going to do both. The fact that I'm posting on this site means I'm way more interested in Duke basketball than the average consumer but the only way I'm watching either the games in Canada or the Earn Everything series is through a free trial.

budwom
07-21-2018, 01:38 PM
This is where, at least as far as I'm concerned, ESPN has overestimated the value of their programming. I'm willing to pay via the cable company or I would pay ESPN directly the way I can HBO but I'm not going to do both. The fact that I'm posting on this site means I'm way more interested in Duke basketball than the average consumer but the only way I'm watching either the games in Canada or the Earn Everything series is through a free trial.

I understand what they're trying. Revenue is dropping, Wall Street analysts are concerned, and Mickey is not happy. I'm sure they've brought in all manner of big time consultants (hello, McKinsey) just as
companies in other besieged industries have done. Newspapers were once wildly profitable, now they're barely hanging on to life....they try all sorts of changes to get the revenue flowing, to little avail.

Exacerbating ESPN's problems, of course, are their long term contracts with various sports leagues which lock them in to high payments. Eventually these will expire and they'll pay less in the future. But for the time being I think we can expect they'll probe and poke us sports fans for more revenue any way they can...

LasVegas
07-21-2018, 03:50 PM
This is where, at least as far as I'm concerned, ESPN has overestimated the value of their programming. I'm willing to pay via the cable company or I would pay ESPN directly the way I can HBO but I'm not going to do both. The fact that I'm posting on this site means I'm way more interested in Duke basketball than the average consumer but the only way I'm watching either the games in Canada or the Earn Everything series is through a free trial.

Are people on here really not going to pay $5 to watch the duke games in Canada? I’ll gladly fork over $5 for some summer Duke action.

MartyClark
07-21-2018, 04:24 PM
Are people on here really not going to pay $5 to watch the duke games in Canada? I’ll gladly fork over $5 for some summer Duke action.

Yeah, me too. I'd probably pay $20 to watch three games. My rooting/paying/standing in line sports interests have narrowed in recent years. I live in Denver and won't pay to see the Broncos, Nuggets or Avalanche. (I'll gladly attend when someone trying to get my business offers free tickets.)

I love Duke basketball and will pay reasonable prices to see them on t.v. or in person.

Go Duke.

hallcity
07-21-2018, 04:24 PM
Are people on here really not going to pay $5 to watch the duke games in Canada? I’ll gladly fork over $5 for some summer Duke action.

The thing is that if ESPN is willing to do this for these summer games, won't they do the same for some regular season games as well? They're going to cram ESPN+ down our throats. Watch out, UNC, Kansas and Kentucky basketball fans. They're coming for you too.

budwom
07-21-2018, 04:32 PM
The thing is that if ESPN is willing to do this for these summer games, won't they do the same for some regular season games as well? They're going to cram ESPN+ down our throats. Watch out, UNC, Kansas and Kentucky basketball fans. They're coming for you too.

I agree, i'm not going to pay for it....I'd sooner trek to Laval to see that game...also I'm keeping in mind that often these games are crappy, not sure what I'll learn by watching them play McGill.
I'd like ESPN to know what I'm willing to pay for espn+ (nuthin').

hallcity
07-21-2018, 04:59 PM
There's a free seven day trial for ESPN+ so we'll be OK this summer but wait until the schedule comes out. There's going to be several ESPN+ games on it.

sagegrouse
07-21-2018, 05:03 PM
Are people on here really not going to pay $5 to watch the duke games in Canada? I’ll gladly fork over $5 for some summer Duke action.

Lessee.... a Final Four trip costs many, many thousands, not even counting the Iron Dukes donations. Of course, I will pay a few bucks to watch Duke's pre=season games with a whole new lineup of potential stars.

OldPhiKap
07-21-2018, 05:11 PM
Hard for me to get geared up about a few scrimmages, all taking place before football season even starts.

Love Duke hoops, but — not in mid-August.

I’ll probably pass. Not because it’s $5, but because I would have to do more than just turn the tv on to hassle with it.

To everything, there is a season . . . .

richardjackson199
07-21-2018, 05:55 PM
Are people on here really not going to pay $5 to watch the duke games in Canada? I’ll gladly fork over $5 for some summer Duke action.

That's right. I'm not going to pay for it. I'm already currently paying for cable to get all the ESPN channels. That's where I'm drawing the line for now. For now, this will probably mean I'll miss some Duke games this year, and that's how it goes.

When it gets to the point where I need to cut the cord and get ESPN+, then I'll re-evaluate and maybe I will. I like DVR skipping through commercials which is easier on Cable than streaming. But it sounds like at some point it will get to that point.

I try not to overpay for things out of principle. Like on my Spectrum, to order a new movie it used to cost $4.99. If I wanted to see the movie, I used to pay that. But then they decided to increase the price to $5.99. Inflation I guess. So now I never order those movies. I just wait for them to get to HBO. But it's only one more buck, right? Right. I realize they are always asking what is the maximum price they can charge that most people will still pay for so that they can optimize profits. If I keep paying, then the price will keep going up and all my money will be worth less. So I just try to vote with my dollar.

But that's just me. To each his own.

UrinalCake
07-21-2018, 06:04 PM
The thing is that if ESPN is willing to do this for these summer games, won't they do the same for some regular season games as well? They're going to cram ESPN+ down our throats. Watch out, UNC, Kansas and Kentucky basketball fans. They're coming for you too.

Yep, they’ll figure out the minimum number of games that the average fan can’t live without and put that many on ESPN+ so people will go ahead and pony up the $5 per month. Then it will become too much of a hassle to keep canceling and restarting every time there’s an event you want, so we’ll just keep the subscription going. An article I read suggested that ESPN’s parent company ABC may employ a similar model with their broadcast TV shows, and there’s a chance they may acquire FOX and do the same with sporting events that they own. So I think we’re seeing the start of a trend, not just a one-off thing.

Eventually I could foresee each channel being a separately priced entity, basically a roundabout way of reaching net neutrality.

TruBlu
07-21-2018, 06:10 PM
I’ll probably spring for the $5 to watch. But keep in mind that I make 12 hour round trip drives to attend Duke basketball and football games, most of which I could stay home and watch on tv.

As a teenager (many decades ago) I would borrow my dads car and drive 50 miles round trip to Charlotte and sit in a Shoneys Drive-in to be able to pick up Duke games on the local AM radio station.

So, yeah, I’ll spend the $5.

kmspeaks
07-21-2018, 06:35 PM
Are people on here really not going to pay $5 to watch the duke games in Canada? I’ll gladly fork over $5 for some summer Duke action.

It's not really about the amount but who it's going to. I'd gladly pay $5 if it were Duke asking for it but I want to give less money to ESPN not more. I want to watch games and maybe listen to someone who can teach me something while I'm watching them. I don't care about what outfit someone is wearing, what celebrities are in the stands, or how loud guys like Stephen A Smith or Skip Bayless or whoever they're paying to yell these days can make an incoherent argument about some topic when they only hold that position because of a pro/con coin flip that took place before the show.

I feel like summer is pretty light in terms of games available to broadcast. In these summer games ESPN had a chance to make me actually tune in before college football starts. Now they want $5 for me to watch a scrimmage? No thanks.

Troublemaker
07-23-2018, 01:42 PM
I agree, i'm not going to pay for it...I'd sooner trek to Laval to see that game...also I'm keeping in mind that often these games are crappy, not sure what I'll learn by watching them play McGill.
I'd like ESPN to know what I'm willing to pay for espn+ (nuthin').

I would expect to learn a decent amount because this would be the first time I've seen these guys play together (and the behind-the-scenes look at the team, while curated as -jk- notes, still will probably give me a sense of the player's personalities and certain things the coaches want to emphasize). Don't get me wrong. I'm on board with starving ESPN of money if and when possible, but I can't agree with the notion that going from essentially zero knowledge of the team to not-zero isn't significant knowledge gained.

I'll be forking over the $5. It's the fanatic in me.

budwom
07-23-2018, 03:36 PM
I would expect to learn a decent amount because this would be the first time I've seen these guys play together (and the behind-the-scenes look at the team, while curated as -jk- notes, still will probably give me a sense of the player's personalities and certain things the coaches want to emphasize). Don't get me wrong. I'm on board with starving ESPN of money if and when possible, but I can't agree with the notion that going from essentially zero knowledge of the team to not-zero isn't significant knowledge gained.

I'll be forking over the $5. It's the fanatic in me.

somehow I expect I'll find a way of watching without enriching ESPN, I acknowledge your point about wanting to see what they look like.
Having said that, I've seen enough early exhibition games where Duke curb stomps the undermanned competition that I come away with few conclusions.
Perhaps the Beaver guys will prove to be stout opponents...

UrinalCake
07-23-2018, 07:07 PM
I would expect to learn a decent amount because this would be the first time I've seen these guys play together (and the behind-the-scenes look at the team, while curated as -jk- notes, still will probably give me a sense of the player's personalities and certain things the coaches want to emphasize).

I dunno, I remember watching those games in China where Alex Murphy looked like a starter and MP1 looked like an All-American. It will be fun to get an early look at the guys, but I refuse to fall into the trap of assigning too much significance to whatever happens.

chrishoke
07-23-2018, 07:47 PM
I will watch for fun, not extrapolation.

Troublemaker
07-24-2018, 08:36 AM
I dunno, I remember watching those games in China where Alex Murphy looked like a starter and MP1 looked like an All-American. It will be fun to get an early look at the guys, but I refuse to fall into the trap of assigning too much significance to whatever happens.

That's a good point. We will learn both accurate things (things that persist) and inaccurate things (things that are just small-sample flukes). But look, our previous knowledge of this team playing together is essentially zero. I can't speak for others, but *I* most certainly will be learning a decent amount from these scrimmages and 8 episodes. By the end of it, I'll even summarize what I think I have learned, and then we can look back in April to see how accurate I was. I would bet that a decent amount of my summary will still remain true.

ChillinDuke
07-24-2018, 09:04 AM
Oh, I'll be watching for sure.

See you guys in Chat.

- Chillin

thedukelamere
07-24-2018, 10:13 AM
Considering I'm rewatching the Overtime interview with Cam, RJ, Tre, and Zion for the 10th time (1st world, offseason problems), I'll be paying my $5 just to see how this team's unique chemistry looks on court.

Just in case someone somehow hasn't caught this interview already, definitely worth a watch: https://youtu.be/EEf4TpLYbWA