http://www.businessinsider.com/espn-bleeding-subscribers-2016-5
>The number of homes with ESPN has dropped below 90 million for the first time in a decade as the Worldwide Leader in Sports continues to bleed subscribers at an alarming rate.
>ESPN has lost over 1.5 million subscribers since February alone. If that pace continues — and data from the last three years suggests it will — the number of homes with ESPN will likely fall to at least 87-88 million by the end of the year. That would mark a 12-13% drop in just the last five years, since the network peaked with 100.1 million subscribers in 2011.
How do you feel about the imminent death of ESPN?
I'll miss around the horn and PTI, everything else can get fucked though.
>>68031472
FS1 is hardly a competitor so a drop in subscribers won't kill ESPN. Likely, they will just cut out what is left that is good and keep the cancer like first take that gets the unemployed audience
>>68031472
they deserve it for not embracing soccer.
TV died when the internet became a common part of every household. The fact that it has taken this long for effects to be felt is the only surprise. Dinosaurs of the old days will feel the pain as they won't understand how to adapt. These networks all boast about their streaming services but they are still operated like a tv channel, with commercials every 5 minutes and a third party cable provider account needed.
>>6803147
as the money bleeds out they will implement the following:
>more still photos of NFL games on sportscenter because they can't afford exclusive rights
>sell Monday Night Football rights
>sell Champions League rights
>release all commentators with more than 10 years experience and high salaries
>more gender friendly content
>everyone gets a radio show
>>68031563
>liking around the horn
>>68031693
>drop in subscribers wont kill espn
I hope you know that is what bring in the majority of money into the company
>>68031908
>watching sportscenter
bro it hasnt been watchable in like a decade
>>68031851
They show MLS and all the major international tournaments
>>68032014
Like I said, they will just cut some stuff since they will be making less. Unfortunately the company is run by people who hate sports so the stuff that will get cut will be the most sports related.
They will still be the #1 sports channel by a large margin so they will be fine
>>68031563
>unironically watching around the sjw
>>68032067
And then they let all of their "sports personalities" shit on soccer whenever they get a chance. ESPN is run by idiots.
>yfw ESPN is singlehandedly offsetting the gains Disney is making from Star Wars/Avengers/Zootopia/etc.
>>68032118
Theyll just trim the other espn channels. Everyone forgets disney and abc are the big dogs, espn is a big fish in a small pond, but theyre tiny compared to their ownership
>>68032157
>he doesn't watch around the horn
Women are laughing at you
>>68031472
Read between the lines folks.
>sauce is a competitor
Anyone here actually old enough to pay a cable bill? Do you pick and choose which networks you want and only pay for access to those? No, you pay for a package that includes all kinds of networks. So what most likely happened is that most of those 1.5 lost viewers came from one or two cable providers that removed ESPN from their package. Now, that's still not a good sign for ESPN's business, but it's not the same as if 1.5 million people actively chose to switch to a competitor.
Does make you curious why providers are willing to part with the "worldwide leader in sports" though. You'd think there'd be a lot of pissed cable customers if providers were just axing it for no reason (although cable providers are notoriously unresponsive to consumer pressures, see: South Park, S17E2). Personally, I know I've watched a lot less ESPN since I got NFL Network last summer, but that's just me.
>>68032221
Is woody still alive?
I always hated Jay Mariotta and that bitch with the manly face. I don't like hockey but Cowlishaw was based.
>>68031908
>>sell Champions League rights
you realize that E!SPN doesn't have CL rights, Fox does.
E!SPN only showed Fox's sloppy seconds (usually the random Buyern or P$G match) during the group stages this past season. Fox usually replayed that match on FS+ the morning after.
>>68032333
Woody and shaw are still on but mariotti got fired a long time ago after some domestic abuse thing
>>68031472
simmons is correct in asserting that its a tech rather than media company
people will probably look back to the early 2000's and think how weird it was that we had sports channels set up like fake news stations with fake reporters and "debates" and everything. We'll look back on ESPN like we do Poker from the mid-2000's or MTV from the 90's, a relic of a lost time.
I honestly can't remember the last time I watched ESPN.
>all of the Cards games are on the local Fox Sports affiliate
>very rarely, if ever, watch MNF
>don't give a shit at all about the NBA
>don't really care about college football
>ATH/PTI jumped the shark for me a long time ago
>why anyone would watch SportsCenter (or any highlight show for that matter) in the age of online scores and video highlights is beyond me
>>68031563
Absolute cuckold.
ESPN is basically like print media. It was great back in the day when basically the only access people had to sports was ESPN, like how newspapers were the only way people had access to news. But now with the multitude of sports options (season sports packages, regional sports networks, dedicated sport networks, etc) people no longer need to go to ESPN to get their sports news. And ESPN basically has to focus on the biggest teams and athletes (Yankees, Red Sox, Patriots, LeBron, Lakers, Kobe, Warriors, Curry, etc) because they have to appeal to the most people to get viewers, and those teams have the biggest fanbases. But because of team blogs and websites, dedicated team networks like Comcast Sports Net, sport websites, etc, people no longer have to watch Sportscenter just to get a few minutes of highlights from their team's game. You can go onto NBA's youtube page, or MLB.com and see almost every big play from your team after the game is over in only a few minutes.
And with their terrible analysts like Bayless and Stephen A Smith who are basically paid to troll and be controversial, that is what gets viewers. No one would watch their show First Take if they said everything rationally. When Skip Bayless tweets extreme tweets he gets THOUSANDS of retweets with every comment calling him an asshole. When he tweets level-headed stuff, it gets like maybe 50 retweets. People want to see what stupid shit he says just to call him stupid.
And I can guarantee you that while everyone says "I wish Sportscenter just did highlights", if they just sat there reading the play by play with video of it, no one would watch, especially when they start showing the highlights of all the small market teams and sports.
>>68033099
Skip is moving to Fox
>they keep pushing their leftard bullshit
>they keep trying to force soccer on everybody
Gee, I wonder why.
>>68033232
ESPN definitely isn't trying to force soccer on anybody
>>68033232
haha this dae soccer is for libcucks
>>68033232
i dont know about soccer but they are pushing women's sports so fucking hard
>>68031851
They force soccer all the time. If anything it's driving people away.
ESPNs problem is that have embraced quantity over quality. There are so many cookie cutter shit tier show that have dilluted the channel.
>>68033261
They force it into the top ten all the time. I promise you that annoys regular Joe sports fan.
>>68033580
They never talk about soccer wtf are you saying?
>>68033580
Soccer is easily less than 5% of ESPNs total subject matter on their channels airtime. Less than 5% is overpowering 95%? Not a chance. People don't watch because their analysts and hosts suck.
>>68033676
It's the same thing they did with NASCAR. As soon as they got the rights they started jamming it down people's throats. Obvious as fuck.
>>68033670
A 10 second clip of soccer is killing them? Not the other 59 minutes of sportscenter?
>>68031563
>watching around the jackiewinslol
>>68033751
Recently they've been talking about it more because of the Euros and the Leicester City miracle but otherwise there is an occasional messi/Ronaldo highlight or nothing at all
>>68033760
Just saying its part of the problem. I've heard several people, friends and family, complain about it.
>>68033751
>>68033670
>network gets the right to air a sport
>want to promote the sport so that people watch their coverage, therefore higher ratings, therefore more advertising dollars
>this is literally a basic economic principle, to promote things that benefit you financially
>every single network does this
But because ESPN does it, it's horrible right?
>>68033894
Thats still way more than they used to have, the problem is the obvious pandering since there was none until they actually had the rights to any soccer games
>>68033911
>complaining about sports on a sports show
Nice """""family"""""
>>68033975
Rather have more Jonny Manziel talk instead?
Nothing worse than a soccer cuck in denial.
>>68033911
>>68033975
>>68033997
>all people do is complain about how ESPN is just a bunch of morons screaming opinions for attention or focusing on social media bullshit
>they get the rights to soccer and therefore decide to talk about it to promote their product
>literally getting shit on for talking about sports just because it's ESPN and it's a sport that isn't very popular
you guys are truly unbelievable
>>68033626
NFL Live is the worst of them all I think
It makes shows like Ellen or Keeping Up with the Kardashians look impressive.
>Today, Herm Edwards grills up with Bobby Flay! Plus, we'll have on Steelers runningback to talk about his favorite movies! Then, we'll all use the big board to rank the top 5 CBs in the league ,filled with over-the-top fake laughter
>>68034060
I was on your side famalam ;_;
I used to keep ESPN on all day but now its either MLB, NBA, or NFL network, depending on time of year. People pointing to FS1 are off the mark.
When college football starts back up it will be ESPN but college dominates one day a week during the fall while NFL owns 6, meme Tuesday games aside
>>68034105
>watching any live sports content besides games
why do you care what old faggots talk about to fill time? I love sports but I find all "analysis" to be incredibly boring
Here's how real men do it
>6-10am
Mike & Mike
>10-12am
First Take
>12-3pm
The Herd (FS1)
>3pm-4:30
Complete garbage (NFL Live, Sportsnation, etc.), leave TV
>4:30
Highly Questionable
>5:00
Around the Horn
>5:30
PTI
>6:00
Pregame for local baseball team
>7:00pm
Baseball
ESPN really needs to develop a spring/summer pro football league for TV with more throwback rules disregarding human safety kinda like how XFL sold itself as a purist league back in the day.
it would be hypocritical as fuck but it ran right it could make a lot of money
>>68034180
do you have a life
>>68034180
>that absolute cancer to start the day
You must be suicidal
>>68031472
oy vey better pander to the niggers more
>>68031563
ATH used to be a staple of /sp/ banter
funny how things change
>>68034061
>talking shit about based NFL programming
Kys
>>68034171
Because it's fun
its too political now and the morning shows are just assholes that say shitty things to provoke people
and even though they're losing a shitload of million, they just spend like 500 million on some shitty league of legends tournament. they deserve to bankrupt and I hope they do.
>>68034212
I actually did this when I was a full on NEET for 2 years
It was depressing as shit, the same fucking 3-6 (at most) news items repeated over and over and over again
Though to be fair I'd fall asleep around 9am during Mike & Mike, wake up at 2-3pm, watch Mike Francessa on YES then head back on over to ESPN
>>68034171
MLB Network is pretty fuckin based though with their highlight packages. Starting to focus a bit too much on the "personalities" but its not at unbearable levels yet.
NFL is pretty shit aside from Americas Game stuff
>>68033894
The Euro is a fairly secluded example. Major soccer tournaments happen every 4 years and they pull in relatively big numbers compared to normal shows. Leicester City winning was blowing up on every major news outlet. Look at ESPNs Twitter feed. Leicester City tweets were getting 3x/4x the volume that their other ones at the time were. The point is, anybody who used either of these two examples is somebody actively looking to make it the problem. I'm indifferent to soccer, unless it's a Worl Cup or major game I don't pay attention. But I'm not letting ESPN off the hook by giving them an easy scapegoat. Their shit because they don't listen to their audience. Nobody wants to watch Jemelle Hill. Talk about something being shoved down your throat. Sports center hosts are corny as fuck now. I'm furious every time I turn on ESPN and 7-8 years ago I'd be more than happy to watch for 4-5 hours a day because it was entertaining.
>>68034294
i love mlb network
just wish they had something else in the morning besides quick pitch.
>>68034294
I fucking love Quick Pitch
>>68034338
>just wish they had something else in the morning besides quick pitch.
Kek, same here, except I live in the west coast so the only show on mlb network on late nights is quick pitch
>>68034180
Holy shit, kys.
Tuning in to Mike & Mike AND First Take?
>not even once.
On another note, what is killing off the TV subscription numbers isn't people dropping espn, it is the companies having a negotiating stalemate with espn's tv deal. Espn gets over 5 bucks for each household that has it. Their nearest competitor gets something in the neighborhood of about 25 cents per house. If someone has the current package that includes espn, you can already add over 5 bucks to your monthly bill just from them, even if you never watched it for a second. Cable companies are balking at this figure now with the advent of streaming and lessening ratings, and are pushing for an a la carte channel selection which is user-specific. Giant media corporations are fighting this change in cable packaging structures tooth and nail, which only drives the stake between the cable companies and the media companies further. Once cable goes a la carte, espn will be in a death spiral if they don't agree to taking a lesser per household share, as people will always look to cut costs and just stream online, especially since espn is the most expensive channel before you get into the premium networks like HBO.
>>68031908
Under "news fair use" policies, you could use NFL highlights for up to 24 hours since it's considered "news"
>>68034501
but eventually they will sell watchespn separately as a streaming service, I don't know what's stopping them now honestly
>>68034608
E3 in 2 weeks bro
>>68034180
Nah man, do this (inb4 >worst coast)
>7am-10
Lebatard and Stugotz
>10am-12pm
The Herd
>12-2pm
Whatever day baseball game or European soccer game is on
>2-3pm
ATH/PTI
>3-5pm
Seinfeld
>5-7pm
Take a break from TV
>7pm
baseball
>>68034608
I agree 100%. From a consumer standpoint, there will be backlash and a slow adoption rate at first, as is with any service which switches from free to a paid subscription. However, from a business and financial standpoint, there is absolutely no reason why they should not be charging a fee for their streaming service. I know you need to have ESPN on your cable package to log in with your provider's credentials as of now, but soon I see it being an entirely separate entity that we will need to pay for, possibly at a reduced rate if we already get the channels on tv. Like Simmons says, ESPN is a massive tech company, they just don't realize it yet. I say it is either that, or that they were just so big and really the only show in town for so long that they are trying to slowly shift course on what was once thought of as an immovable object.
OTL is the only God tier programming.
PTI and AtheH have become caricatures of themselves. Bayliss and Smith are complete and utter asshats.
Sportscenter is a fuckin bunch of wannabe comedians that are not funny. Eisen, Patrick, Olberman and Kilborn gone, and were the base of some comedic life.
And Chris fucking Berman is insufferable.
And last but not least, agregious media bias to fulfill agendas.
>>68034791
no I mean they will sell it separately to non-cable/satellite subscribers, like hbo now
>>68032199
Disney should have been renamed ESPN
thats what investors should have paid attention to
>>68032314
I wish a la carte cable existed.
going "urban" was probably a mistake
and full SJW
I fucking love seeing networks and businesses literally cucking themselves out of billions of dollars by trying to pander to a few SJWs and minorities. The funniest part is when they double down on it even after it seems to backfire.
>>68034180
close
>6-10
M&M on the duece
>10-1
Lebatard on ESPNU
>1-4
Russillo & Kanell ESPN news
>4-7
Sports Nation, HQ, happy hour, sportscenter
>>68035260
The day my provider goes a la carte, I'll be the first in line to change my subscription. So many bullshit channels that I never watch, have no interest in watching, or have redundant programming from a channel that I do occasionally catch a show on.
>>68034180
>>68034782
>basebore
Neck yourself.
>>68031852
This. How many other networks are losing subscribers? (Non-sports related.)
People are dropping cable altogether for HBOgo, netflix, hulu, the firestick, google's plug in, cable is so fucking expensive these days that people are responding to that south park episode by steaming shit online. Soon fiber optics will take over the internet business and cable business will be dead entirely. Why watch tv with commercials when you can stream with adblock? Lot of TV will continue to die and ESPN is not any different.
>>68034273
>Though to be fair I'd fall asleep around 9am during Mike & Mike, wake up at 2-3pm, watch Mike Francessa on YES then head back on over to ESPN
livin the dream
sunday night NFL Primetime was my favorite show ever
>duh duhduh duh duh duh-duh- duhhhhh
>nuh nuh nuh nuhhhh nuhh nuh
>>68033972
In the short run, yes. However when people realize that the bulk of your programming is shifting from what they tune in for (sports coverage) into advertising and creating interest in the couple sports that you broadcast, you might be in some trouble. Especially when you no longer have the monopoly you once had (NBA/NFL/NHL/MLB network, Big 10 network, fox, nbc, etc. all take away from ESPN, not to mention cord cutters).
Just because something makes you money today doesn't make it a smart move if it makes you lose more in the long run.
>>68033099
Ill give you a >you for good analysis
>>68035431
NFL Primetime was good when it was a part of Sunday's SportsCenter and it only had Berman and Tom Jackson running down the highlights with Berman doing his schtick for the ones he covered.
>>68035260
The cable industry would collapse
>>68031563
>watching around the Jew horn
>>68032596
Twitch poker is pretty based nowadays
>>68033670
the problem wih the top 10 is the #1 play panders. If the red sox catch a pop fly that seals the world series (despite the score being 7-2 or something), thatd take priority because veiwership. #2 is usually the superior athletic play
>>68034180
No, real men go work to provide for their families
I have ESPN but never watch it. Not really a fan of sports to be honest.
espn deportes is the GOAT
>>68035949
Then if you had the chance or opportunity to do so, would you stop subscribing to them in order to save on your bill or possibly use it to purchase additional content that does interest you?
That's what the cable companies are wanting to shift towards since they know they are hemorrhaging customers left and right due to streaming services. They want to be as lean and user specific as possible, almost like a cell phone plan rather than a utility bill.
>>68035849
Half the time the plays on the top 10 aren't even worthy of being there.
>>68034180
>Mike & Mike
I'll pass
>>68035858
>real men have families they provide for
No, real men have harems of sluts they fuck at whim because of their super rich connections and ties to family.
>>68035385
>Sports Nation
Lucky they have The Undefeated to pick up the slack in revenue
>>68036070
People are quickly finding that a la carte ends up not saving much money, myself included. My main issue with my cable is the shitty fucking hardware and interface you're forced into. I want to go Internet+Apps just for my own sanity.
>>68032314
>So what most likely happened is that most of those 1.5 lost viewers came from one or two cable providers that removed ESPN from their package.
Cable subscriptions are down, it makes sense that ESPN subscriptions would be down accordingly. Sports are probably one of the biggest things keeping people on cable subscriptions.
>tfw no more kornheiser
>>68032314
>>68035260
the thing is, networks charge providers a per-subscriber fee to carry them, and the only way they used to be able to make financial sense to the providers is to package them with a bunch of other shit. ESPN is well known for having their fee be MUCH MUCH higher than literally any other cable network. it is the single most expensive cable channel set by a large margin, and everyone was getting sick of it.
if they tried providing ESPN a la carte, enough people would drop it either due to the cost or lack of sports interest that the people who would want to keep it would have to add an extra 10 bucks or so just to have a la carte ESPN, which is a death sentence to the previous financial model for ESPN.
they can't survive in their current form in any other way than the old system, which is why they're grasping as hard as they can to hold on to it. the writing is on the wall though, and the way people watch (and pay) for sports coverage is changing due to technological and generational differences. it's just not possible anymore to do it the way things were.
>>68038694
Everyone is saying people are cutting the cord...that may be true but isnt that only possible because actual channels still broadcast sports? Like how the fuck would anyone access any live sports if traditional broadcasters werent there to film it?
>>68031693
FS1 does not overpay by hundreds of millions for events so they dont need a gorrilian subscribers
>>68032048
SC has not been needed ever since 08 when youtube and streaming sites got big
>>68038726
Well, services like MLB.tv, NBA League Pass, and UFC Fight Pass will be there to pick up the pieces if and when traditional cable dies.
Live sports is one of the few things propping up the television industry. There's a reason Fox paid close to $1B for the rights to the fucking U.S. Open golf tournament.
>>68038726
that's why live sports aren't disappearing, they're just changing alongside the market. if ESPN and other broadcasters are too slow to adapt, someone else will step up and fill that role in a more user-friendly form. hell, it's possible the leagues might just take over and take exclusive broadcasting rights available only via internet connection. not that it's the most likely outcome, but still.
>>68035260
>>68035399
enjoy baseball being $20 a month to watch since they cant bundle it with the basketweaving neet channel
>>68035260
There is....Its called CableTime. It can only be purchased if you have a business license and they are currently being sued to the moon by everyone. My buddy is a big wig for his company and met the rep at a jobsite
>>68033232
>>68033402
i dont hear ads for fucking hockey or soccer on ESPN but I did hear one for the fucking WNBA lel
>>68031472
/SP/ WILL FILL THE GAP
STREAMING AND SHITPOSTING, YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST.
>>68038805
It's actually a pretty fascinating situation to postulate on. It's not a question of if, but when. And it'll be interesting to see where the cards fall in terms of price and distribution of over-the-top streaming networks when the shoe finally falls.
I mean, the leagues are making the vast majority of their money on TV contracts, and when those TV contracts aren't available anymore, it'll be interesting how the leagues respond.
>>68032333
Cowlishaw truly is based.
I listen to ESPN Dallas radio all the time (they actually have really decent content, surprisingly) and Cowlishaw has a great afternoon show.
>>68034782
8 AM -11 AM Jim Rome show
12 PM lunch break
1 PM hockey central at noon
2-6 East coast baseball games
6-9 Dodgers
>>68034231
yes hershal they have large families and lots of disposable income right?
>>68035994
tfw trying to learn spanish hearing some random fag calling a baseball game
>>68032613
I know that feeling.
>all of the Rangers games are on Fox Sports Southwest
>easily 90% of Mavericks games are on FSSW as well and ESPN commentators are terribly biased against Dallas whenever they are on ESPN
>don't care about CFB so fuck it
>Happy Hour is nearly unwatchable now
>SportsCenter is and has been garbage for a long, long time
If ESPN was dropped from my cable package, I wouldn't care one bit. The only thing I might miss was MNF but the Cowboys are only ever on there maybe once a year and I usually work on Monday nights anyway.
>>68033221
I hope he tones down the shitty fucking persona he's cultivated with ESPN.
>>68034269
Are you prepared to see LoL "highlights" on Sportscenter, my niggas?
Please crash and burn soon, ESPN.
All they talk about is basketball and black people. Who the hell watches basketball these days? So who cares. Im into boxing and baseball.
>>68038780
Yeah they do. Have you seen what they've done to their sets to try and save money?
Also, they will sign Skip Bayless once he leaves ESPN for outrageous wages.
>>68038805
Leagues making their own streaming options makes a lot of sense. Id love that. (as long as it doesnt suck...mlb.tv sucks)
>>68033099
nice dubs and analysis
to be fair 90% of the replies to skip bayless' tweets are >muh 1.4 in college
Is there any surprise? All they do is circlejerk about one specific topic or player for certain amount of time. Examples: Johnny Manzlel, Michael "BBC in my ass" Sam, Odell Bitcham Jr. They also have do the "inspiring" and melodramatic stuff way too often. It's good they're doing it but it seems like they do every episode of Sportscenter. They also talk about memes and twitter. They bring in weird celebrity choices such as Lil' Wayne, Nicki Minaj, and fucking Will Ferrell. Also too many "cool" anchors who spout nothing but catchphrases such as Neil Everett, Stan Verrett, and John Buccigross. Too much advertisting and movie tie-in's. The only thing keeping this network afloat is PTI and the 30 for 30's. This company is a complete disaster and you can thank Disney for it.
His and hers currently talking about how black steph curry is. This is why espn is losing viewers.
>>68031472
do people drop it after the NFL season and then pick it up again in october? That happens a lot over here. People drop Sky Sports for the summer. Usually when you go to cancel they will over you a nice discount so a lot of people try the pretend to cancel technique too.
>>68034782
>wake up with the phlegmVP for some breakfast race talk
>light exercise shaking my head at shit Colin says
>midday nap
>stimulating banter and cultural enrichment
>get high and watch Seinfeld
>work, housekeeping
>work, housekeeping with baseball playing in the background
But 90% of those homes probably never watched ESPN and were only subscribed because it came packaged with their other cable channels.
>>68046515
People don't want to hear discussion of controversial topics?
Nfl is starting to make me vomit when they start pushing the whole "***skins is objectively wrong". I see it in their website reporters and making their announcers push it for a brief five minutes. Among other topics, the nfl is in the starting stages of going full sjw.
Thank god I'm a chiefs fan and don't have to worry about that Indian reference being "offensive"
>>68032180
>shit on soccer whenever they get a chance
but even espn's shit-tier """"""""""""embrace debate""""""""""" shows draw bigger ratinngs than soccer.
>>68039065
MLB.tv had a class action lawsuit forcing them to show in-market games as long as the customer has a cable/satellite provider with in-market broadcasting. You will be able to buy single team packages if you so choose. As cable continues to get dropped, MLB.tv may be able to leave that contract right when it ends and not have to do TV blackouts for in-market teams.
>>68033911
>the 50 people in the trailer park don't like soccer
>is the cause for the death of a multi-billion dollar corporation
>>68049009
>Thank god I'm a chiefs fan and don't have to worry about that Indian reference being "offensive"
Who do you think is next, friend?
>>68034791
>I know you need to have ESPN on your cable package to log in with your provider's credentials
nope
you can buy it now without cable through sling tv or slingshot or some shit name like that.
its $20 a month and you get some other abc channels with it
>>68035260
anyone remember the big old C-Band satellites?
they had ala carte programming like this.
my inlaws had one and they had a base package of like 10 channels and then only bought the cannels they wanted.
it was based
>>68049858
Seahawks to Xehawks for PC reasons.
>>68050029
I've also heard that amazon's firestick gets a lot of shit, some guy near me was watching dodger games from the TWC broadcast with it.
Why doesn't ESPN charge like $10 a month to stream all their stations live via an app or something. Could be like netflix but with live sports.
I'd probably pay that. I don't have cable.
>>68050327
>i don't have cable
that's why.
if people could get that shit separate they would drop cable faster than they already are.
>>68050357
>if people could get that shit separate they would drop cable faster than they already are.
yep
it may make espn money to charge $10 a month but it would hurt a lot of other abc shows who are only on a cable tier because they have to show them because of espn.
>>68031472
>Change channel to ESPN
>"Hey maybe there's something good on"
>APEHOOP FINALS
>HANDEGG IS STILL MONTHS AWAY BUT LET'S TALK ABOUT IT, NO SPORTS ON
>TURN LEFT
>LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL
>FUCKING LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL
>Hey there's no sports so let's just watch reruns of little league baseball
>DURING IMPORTANT FOOTBALL TOURNAMENTS
Get fucked ESPN.
>>68050327
because one of the big reasons that ESPN is able to get the money they do now is forcing themselves onto cable providers. see, there are obviously lots of smaller unrelated networks that nobody would watch unless it came included with their cable package, and those ones can only exist because they leech off of being bundled in with the bigger ones. so in order to keep those afloat and brag about how much stuff they can offer, the providers need to put up with ESPN's price gouging in order to make carrying the rest actually feasible, and that means ESPN was subscribed to by way more people than actually wanted it.
if ESPN wanted to go the streaming or a la carte route, they'd have to charge people at least $40 a month in the first wave just to make similar money off their now smaller viewerbase, and then that would get higher as more people drop it when they realize ESPN isn't worth that much to them. it's an unsustainable model for them in order to keep their revenue status they have now.
this means ESPN is either going to hope that cable continues to be relevant because SOMEONE needs to broadcast live sports (not going to last much longer as it is though, so it's a losing battle), or they're going to have to suck it up and realize that they're going to have to return to being a smaller, more focused network which much less overall revenue. if they choose to do neither, they will collapse in on themselves and die, and someone else will step in to fill that role.
>people subscribe to ESPN as a single channel
What a bunch of dumb fucks you are. Every channel is losing "subscribers."
>>68050327
You can. It's $20/month. It's like you faggots never leave the basement...
>>68050452
You forgot the spelling bee and e-sports
>>68050526
They meant like this >>68050357 though, right now you need to login as part of your cable subscription.
>>68050574
No, you don't.
http://www.recode.net/2015/1/5/11557484/you-can-finally-get-espn-on-the-web-for-20-a-month
Granted, you have to have Dish or whatever, but still.
>>68050590
>Granted, you have to have Dish or whatever, but still.
Right, so when they offer their streaming service with no prerequisites or strings attached, then you have my attention. Until then, it's not what we're looking for.
>>68050547
Spelling Bee on /sp/ is god-tier though.
Everything else can literally fuck off. It's non-stop bullshit about handegg or apehoop athletes doing the same fucking interview for the 1000th time or basebore on when there's SPORTS going on.
>Worldwide leader in sports they said
>>68050623
>ESPN should have to stream and set up servers themselves to please you
That's now how the internet works.
>>68050464
I see. I guess they are stuck in a hard place.
>>68050526
I actually tried sling and if fucking sucked. Buffered all the time and just acted janky. Plus $20 is too much for someone like me to stream those channels when there's may like 2 games at most I'd want to watch a month. Shit, Netflix is $10 a month and get way more usage from that than I ever did with sling.
>>68050650
It's where things are moving, they have to stay ahead of the game if they want to stay relevant. They're not even just changing with the times after everyone else though, they're dragging their feet and resisting.
>>68050590
>>68050623
you don't need Dish, all you need is a Sling subscription.
it's the WatchESPN version of ESPN with Sling commercials injected though, so enjoy the same four awful commercials playing during every break.
>>68050673
>I see. I guess they are stuck in a hard place.
that's part of why they're trying to "expand their brand footprint" to markets that are not your traditional sports fans, like promoting e-sports now. same sort of thing as when they picked up NASCAR, but wider out now and with a younger appeal that supposedly would be easier to transition with if they start going more internet-based. or at least that's the idea, but I don't think it will work. after all this is said and done, ESPN will be a case study in "too little, too late".
>something owned by Disney is in any sort of financial trouble
No.
>>68050751
look it up bro, they're bleeding money in multiple places, ESPN is only one leak they need to plug. just because they have the size to weather it out if there's a route out doesn't mean they're not in a really rough spot right now.
>>68034232
>things change sometimes
Weird huh??
>>68033751
NASCAR is objectively horrible
>>68050751
>John Carter
>Lone Ranger
>Rogue One
>>68050775
It has nothing to do with ESPN itself though. It's more about broke, 20-something hipsters like you.
>i can't afford a cable TV package!
>spends $100/month on clothes and apparel, eats out 4 times a week
Fuck off.
>>68050820
every studio has flops
and Disney can make it all back with Rigorously Contrived Focus Group Approved Heart String Puller 2016 anyway
>>68032067
>>68033580
They disrespect it all the time
https://youtu.be/4vXGLx63FEo
>>68050857
>paying for cable when you can stream for free
>>68031472
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dp3jda591M4
E!SJWPN has fallen, we did it reddit
WE FUCKING DID IT
>>68050884
Often times they'll do the top 10. I think its John anderson that goes "and now to number 6. ITS KICKING! KICKING! This kicking from Spain. And number 5...". They dont give a shit about it kek
>>68050820
oh man, you're right. those 3 movies have completed bankrupted disney
>>68050857
yeah okay, way to lay down baseless accusations. the younger generation of college age is less able to spend freely than before, but they were never the bulk of ESPN's market to begin with.
damn, pretty amazing seeing how much shit has changed since 2011. i used to think this decade was just 00's part 2.
as for ESPN, i really don't see what direction they're going in to mitigate this. letting tirico, bayless, and simmons go seems to imply that they're downsizing to remain profitable but then there's splurging on the new sportscenter set and nba deal and "e-sports"
>>68051356
when you compare those two event sets, the common thread isn't "expenditure" but rather "market appeal". they're trying to reach a wider, younger, more casual viewerbase, because they can't afford to cater to just one subsection of the market anymore. it's like how in vidya, game developers saw their costs rising faster than ever before, so they started moving away from console exclusive content to a more multi-platform model. after that, they started making minigame shit and whatever in order to appeal to casual gamers. it's all about expanding your footprint, like how the Big Ten picked up maryland and rutgers in football not because they were good, but because they gave them the DC/Baltimore and new york TV markets.
so cutting guys that are older, controversial, or not meshing well with the "new image" they want to make for the wider audience are gone. they get replaced by stuff that brings people in, like the NBA, and stuff that appeals to a younger non-traditional market, like e-sports. it makes sense viewed that way.
>>68033232
>soccer
>leftist
its one of the most capitalist sports on Earth. You fucking get kicked out of the league if you finish last.
>>68050857
you seriously pay for cable? outside of sports there is nothing remotely interesting on tv. everything i want can be foun don netflix or just watch anime subbed from japan.
>>68051613
the Big Ten move is stupid because the end of cable tv sports is near and you can't force NYC metro region and DC metro region people to subscribe to Big Ten if the cable bundle does not exist.
>>68050857
STRONG shill
>>68051613
I disagree. Your idea on demographic change is idiotic because the "young", "hip" idiots have no money, which means little value for advertisers.
The reason they are moving to talk shows, SJW crap, and e-sports is the absurdly low production costs. The same reason network television went to reality shows. Also, look up channel drift.
>>68051810
well it's not that it can't be more than one thing. after all, it's not like all the people that are into e-sports are young, and even the broke ones can be eased into their market profile if they've been accustomed to it being part of the ESPN brand for several years already. in any case, I had heard that e-sports licensing rights aren't as cheap as everyone had thought anyways.
the end point though, is that ESPN is scrambling for solutions and seems more like a henhouse full of headless chickens, it comes off as chaotic with no real solid front in charge and very little idea of where they're taking it from here. they're willing to try a bunch of shit to see what works, because they're rightly afraid that they won't be able to do things they way they've been used to for that much longer.
>>68051613
>they get replaced by stuff that brings people in
dude your mental gymnastics on this are absolutely outstanding
so ESPN tries to appeal to a wider market by shoehorning in tons of chicks and "hip" programming/anchors... and then consequently hemorrhages subscribers
doesn't sound like "stuff that brings people in," as a matter of fact it is quite literally the opposite
i'm 23 and everyone at my college worshipped bill simmons, ESPN is just absolutely clueless and continually sabotages itself because the old white guys at the top can't see that the younger generation, at least of men, is swinging back to the center/right.
>>68031852
>TV died when the internet became a common part of every household.
What fucking moron is such a loser today that they'll willingly continue to finance the Jew advertising machine known as cable TV?
You can find anything you want to watch streamed online.
Fuck the Jews and their shilling.
Maybe now that it's impossible to monopolize access to sports and "arts" the way it used to be, the entertainers and athletes will be treated like the gypsy scum they basically are, and the leeches that exploit them will shrivel up and die.
>>68051963
well I never said it was working, I was just trying to explain what I can understand of the rationale behind their actions. as far as I can see it, they're a walking corpse and bound to fall at any moment now. they can try what they want for now, but like you've said they are so out of touch that they don't know how to make the right moves to fix it anymore. as I said before, a case study in too little, too late.
the best thing for them to do would be blow up the whole system and start over by going back to their core market and delivering it on a much smaller and more focused scale, then trying to grow properly again while paying attention to market changes. they won't do that though, because it's fucking disney, and because they've already doubled down (looking at you CFP rights) too much to be willing to let go now.
>>68051963
>so ESPN tries to appeal to a wider market by shoehorning in tons of chicks and "hip" programming/anchors.
Most of the people that watch sports are dudes, and one of the reasons dudes watch sports is for the camaraderie, and to get away from their nagging cunt of a wife / girlfriend for a few hours.
So what do the networks do?
Hire harpy shrews to comment on sports....
Talk about not knowing your fan base.
No real dude wants to watch some attention whoring bitch comment on sports...
>>68051963
> ESPN is just absolutely clueless and continually sabotages itself because the old white guys at the top can't see that the younger generation, at least of men, is swinging back to the center/right.
lol no. We're moving to an age where people don't give a flying fuck about the left or right. I suppose you could say I have some Conservative views, but I'd never vote Republican because Republicans are fucking idiots. Same with Democrats. I'd only ever vote for the Green Party.
>>68052087
it's the SJWs man, we used to not have women on there at all, and then they just became the eye candy, but feminists weren't okay with either of those things and demanded that they be given the same roles as men AND be taken seriously. maybe some people are happy with that, but that's not their base.
>>68052136
>I'd only ever vote for the Green Party.
Because you believe in the Green Party's platform or because you think it's the most likely way you'll be able to stick it to those other two cunt parties?
>>68052257
mix of both.
>Be in Canada
>Every national US broadcast is simulcast on TSN or Sportsnet
>get all local sports + all NBCSN, ESPN FS1 games for next to nothing
>we even get simulcasted games from FOX sports [region]
Feels good to be canadian for once
>>68052136
>Green Party
fucking LOL, you know they are communists right?
>>68052285
Yeah no. Stop getting your info from /pol/.
>>68052268
But the Green Part is even worse liberal scum than the Democrats are. I'd rather vote for KKK or Nazis, that's how bad it is.
>>68052333
They're commies m8
>>68052445
you're a cummie m8.
>>68052136
>I'd only ever vote for the Green Party.
>>68052465
why are cartoons always drawn in that smaller style always made to look fat too? they don't have to be.
>>68033972
>Network buys MLS rights
>Pushes it down everyone's throats because they think they're big enough to make soccer a thing
>There's backlash
Espn exec. pls leave
It's horrible when they think they're big enough to start trends and shit just because they say so
>>68031908
>hypes women's sports
>no fucks will ever be given
Ever since they became a one sport channel, this was inevitable.
Only thing I'd bother watching is 30 for 30. They could marathon it 24/7 and maybe I'd actually tune into ESPN once in a while. Other than that, I avoid it like the plague. Even their coverage of MLB games is terrible.
My only issue with no cable is no live sports. Literally the only thing. I know there's MLB/NHL/etc network, but don't they blackout your local fucking team? I mean, I could easily find a stream online anyways, but j/w.
>>68051643
But the only people in America who watch are leftist try-hards.
