ESPN's future

Quote: Pacomartin

But even Google Fiber, which is pretty much state of the art cable is fairly expensive for television.

Google Fiber is $50 for 100 MBPS and $70 for 1000 MBPS (GIGABIT), a phone line is a $10 option.
Television is $90 for 220 channel + as high as $70 for optional premium channels (includes HBO, CINEMAX, SHOWTIME and STARZ).

The same company, Google, offers Youtube Live TV for $35 for 48 channels including ESPN (No Turner channels like CNN, TBS, and TNT).

Charging what the market will bear?

The TV charge is just paying what the networks seem to be charging. What these networks are not seeing is that I get as much entertainment from YouTube as I ever will from ESPN. As more narrowcasting takes off, more and more people will prefer to watch their niche than some ESPN commentator giving the approved, PC take on things.

MSESPN Can’t Afford Monday Night Football Any More

This guy really sees the end of ESPN coming, claiming that ESPN will not be able to renew MNF or most of its other contracts, and may even sell the later years off to the tech companies. Also saying that Disney will upstream every last dollar they can in a sort of legit bust-out, leaving a dead network behind.

The finance guys might want to look at that idea vs letting it wind down. I doubt busting it out is the best way to go, unless subscriber loss is projected to increase in rate. If they sold it to say AMZN fast, they might even be able to make a deal to do the production of the games, which would for sure have a learning curve.

If they decide to go the bust-out route, they need to sell it all off fast. Otherwise they end up selling off the best assets to keep the worst assets. This always happens, from DuMont to Eastern Airlines, companies in trouble sell off the good to keep the bad. It never works.

Quote: AZDuffman

... sell the later years off to the tech companies.

Will the tech companies pay $1.9 billion a year for MNF? That is for 18 games just for the rights. They still have to produce it.

Only five years ago: NOV 9, 2012 Why ESPN Is Worth $40 Billion As The World's Most Valuable Media Property

They're reporting that ESPN is losing 15,000
subscribers per day. That's $300,000 in real
money, out the window every 24 hours. How
long can this go on. 600 people an hour are
cutting the cord on ESPN.

Quote: Pacomartin

Will the tech companies pay $1.9 billion a year for MNF? That is for 18 games just for the rights. They still have to produce it.

Only five years ago: NOV 9, 2012 Why ESPN Is Worth $40 Billion As The World's Most Valuable Media Property

I thought there was only 17 Monday night games. Two the first week and one each of the following 15 weeks unless they count one of the Thanksgiving games as MNF even though it is on a Thursday.

Quote: DRich

I thought there was only 17 Monday night games. Two the first week and one each of the following 15 weeks unless they count one of the Thanksgiving games as MNF even though it is on a Thursday.

I think ESPN gets one wild card game in addition to the 17 MNF games

ESPN Plus launches for $5 a month with 30 day free trial.

Sling TV is still selling their Disney Option (i.e. ORANGE) streaming service for $20 a month. That includes ESPN, Disney, Freeform and a bunch of basic channels including CNN, but, you can enjoy one stream at a time. There are also multiple other choices that include ESPN starting at $35-$40 a month.

In theory Disney has the option to pull out of Sling TV which seems to make more sense than running a competing service. I suspect they won't do it until they get approval to absorb 21st century Fox.

Disney /ABC is now on their third attempt at creating a cable news channel (1) Satellite News Channel from 1982-1983, (2) ABC News Now from 2004 to 2009, and now Fusion TV, joint venture between Univison and Disney-ABC Television Group subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company launched in October 2013.

The fact that Disney does not own one of the big three FOX NEWS, CNN, or MSNBC is a hindrance to them being able to offer a streaming service which many people would find sufficient (especially if they acquire FOX, FX, FXX, Fox Sports Networks, and National Geographic Partners).

Disney can always add BBC World News (Launched on 11 March 1991) but that service is essentially free already.

Quote: Pacomartin

The expectation is the 5G will make HD Video streaming very commonplace. Right now a multi-channel video programming distributors (MVPD) sell cable to 53 million cable households, and satellite to 33 million households.

Well Verizon is finally advertising 5G Home with sign ups beginning in 16 days. Internet speed will be 300 Mbps with bursts up to 1 Gbps, price will be $50 a month for Verizon Wireless customers and $70 for non-Verizon customers. For Verizon customers there will be 90 days free at the beginning, and also 90 days of Youtube Live TV for free. After that Youtube Live TV will go to the retail $40 a month.

My cable company advertises 500 Mbps and 1 Gbps for $50 and $60 per month + $10 equipment rental + small taxes and fees. So this new 5G service is comparablly priced. The biggest problem is that the cable company keeps trying to raise the rates, which hopefully Verizon won't do.

https://www.verizonwireless.com/5g/home/

Of course, it may take several years to actually roll out this service across the country. T-Mobile is likely to activate Las Vegas before Verizon.

It's likely that this new 5G service will replace cable TV, as they don't have to send trucks to people homes, replace equipment in the home, and/or run wires through houses. The downside will be if cancer lawsuits don't overwhelm the cellular companies.

End of the year is end of the line for ESPN Classic. Probably too much old stuff can be streamed.

Quote: AZDuffman

End of the year is end of the line for ESPN Classic. Probably too much old stuff can be streamed.

Never spent one second watching ESPN. When I had cable I couldn't even tell you what channel it was. The last professional sports game I watched would have been golf and that's been a while, especially since Tiger Woods is now out of it forever. I watched just to see him lose.