OT: Big Layoffs at ESPN
- Thread starter RUtix4me
- Start date
ESPN political agenda and over top TMZ approach to what they think viewers want to see,along with cord cutters is leading to its downfall..They are like a snowflake sports show now.
Last edited:
Out of curiosity I flipped on SC last night to see if they would change the format, etc. Instead, it was still Michael and Jamel on a split screen talking about an NBA game while unaddressed highlights scrolled rolled on the other side. In what world is that entertaining?
Agreed.
ESPN killed the Goose That Laid the Golden Eggs.
I couldn't be more clear and stating it numerous times over the years: WE ALL, 100% OF US, LOVED SportsCenter. From 6am to 9am, the 30min loop with last's night highlights of MLB, NFL, NHL and NBA was amazing.
Harvard will write one of their great case studies and title it, "ESPN Broke What Didn't Need Fixing. A lesson when innovating ruins what you do best."
(As a EAST COAST sports fan who hasn't seen the end of a MLB/NHL/NBA weekday game in 20yrs, I missed the 30min Old School Sports Center dearly - and I hope in my life time Sports pays dearly for their 7/8pm East Cost starts keeping us responsible adults who work from seeing an end of a game.)
Last edited:
The problem is that only a small portion of the potential audience is turning on SportsCenter to see highlights of games that ended a couple hours ago, or the night before. The vast majority have already seen what happened within minutes of it occurring by watching on their phones.
I remember back when somebody thought it would be a good idea to put Rush Limbaugh on MNF. Utter stupidity.
OT but within the past year I heard Mike Francesca while talking about Rutgers and the B1G say that BTN is more profitable that the NFL network.
It would seem to me that the demo that is less likely to cut the cord (older folks) is not the audience who'll warm up to the TMZ style approach. Being an older person I hate it.
According to a few of them, black lives don't matter. They have to make it a racial thing.
I don't watch ESPN anymore except some college football. I gave up on baseball, most NFL games,NBA, college basketball, didn't even watch the NCAA championship for the first time. I now only watch college football, mostly Big Ten but not Rutgers anymore.
I may be in the minority here, but I don't know anyone, and I mean anyone, who is staying up to watch the the end of games. And you can only watch one game at a time - hence why Sport Center was a religion.
topdecktiger said: [URL='https://rutgers.forums.rivals.com/goto/post?id=2716870#post-2716870' said:
Can we all come to agreement here the ONLY reason ESPN (and the rest of the networks) made so much $$$$$$$$$$$, was because my grandmother and mom paid $50 a month for three stations: ABC. NBC, and CBS.
ESPN and rest got a FREE/$$$$$$ ride for 30yrs.
And it is coming to an end and rightfully so.
This is an urban myth (IMO). The actual result of a major shift to PPV would be real sports fans paying more, not less.
Oh yes, Britt McHenry, now she can go sell some newfangled shampoo on an infomercial on Channel 179--
Yes, sports fans paying more, but overall much less revenue for most teams because they wouldn't be subsidized by cable fees.
Word of caution on this thread. This may cause a potential domino affect on pricing for sports and possibly could bring down value on B1G Network if the cable companies use this as leverage to pushing down fees.
if you like a $195 mo cable bill so your team can have Italian marble floors, gold plated faucets, and twenty 75 inch 4K big screen in the locker room, while the assistant coaches make $700,000 a yr and the head coach $5 mil a yr, you have some really f'd up priorities.
Last edited:
If they got rid of Jay Bilas, Pat Forde and Scott Van Pelt I wouldn't shed a tear, I might jump for joy.
It's a given that the contracts will get smaller. Some of the smaller conferences might get no compensation AAC, MAC, MWC and Sunbelt and may disappear.
"real fans", by your definition, might pay more, but most sane people would pay way less.
that said, if the NFL went PPV along with big 5 major college sports, what you'll see next is a new pro football league (think AFL/WFL) pop up on basic cable and the major networks the next day, and mid major college sports becoming way more popular.
and there are plenty of big stadiums sitting empty right now, plenty of cities wanting teams, and plenty of fans and politicians beyond sick of being extorted for billions by the 1% of the 1% of the 1% poster children of unbridled greed, that are the NFL owners.
ya think a new league, the only one on tv other than ppv, would have any trouble catching on fast?
ya think fans in St Louis, Oakland, San Diego, will have any sympathy.
I've mentioned PPV possibly being an option in the future but not a sole option just one of a variety of options for a consumer. I'd be surprised if it ever became the sole option because both the leagues and the networks want to reach as many consumers as possible and sole PPV sports would limit that reach. It's more for the person who doesn't want to pay monthly for any sort of bundle but may want to see this or that particular sporting event. So just another option in a buffet of options for the consumer.
they would find danger even short of full on PPV.
say in an ala carte world, ESPN, wanting to stay revenue neutral to their now bundled model, charges $15 mo wholesale to the cable provider, (but only getting a third as many subs as the now bundled channels).
the cable/satellite provider, who marks things up as well so they get theirs too, then charges the end user $28 mo retail.
a lot of people won't subscribe to ESPN at that rate, and the gates to a new start up pro football, (or basketball), league showing games on the network channels or much cheaper ala carte cable channels, would still flourish.
and once subs start watching the startup leagues on the much cheaper channels, they get hooked on the startup leagues, and even the ones who subscribed to ESPN ala carte before, would eventually drop it.
all that said, it isn't Disney/ESPN, or the telecom giants, that will be the big losers in an ala carte world.
it will be the NFL, NBA, and Big 5, that become the big losers. (not that the providers and networks won't take a hit as well).
the big winners, the consumer.
if course, since the networks and big telecom, (one in the same i might add), outright own the congress and senate, on both sides of the aisle, and the FCC as well, don't hold your breath for ala carte.
Last edited:
A
anon_ivydyf0amkzay
Guest
Because I no longer have cable (3+ years now)...I have not cared about ESPiN for that long...recently I removed 98.7 fm from my radio line up because the relentless social justice crap shoved down my throat, made it boring to listen to.
Like dropping wastebook, I have not missed it one tiny bit! In the end there is so much good stuff to stream that's of great actual quality!
Like dropping wastebook, I have not missed it one tiny bit! In the end there is so much good stuff to stream that's of great actual quality!
In this country the consumer is an afterthought. Just when you think their consumer are going to catch a break, corporations find a way to stay one step ahead. Corporations pay lobbyists big bucks to influence politicians. Ala carte is just a dream for now and the near future
see this thread.
https://rutgers.forums.rivals.com/threads/big-layoffs-at-espn.122672/
btw it's not as if some of these bigger names won't find other landing spots at Fox/CBS/NBC. I mostly watch college football and Fox could definitely use some better talent in studio IMO and probably in the booth too.
It's the little guys most haven't heard of that may have a harder time of it.
In a nutshell: they thought the cable cash faucet would run freely forever, and spent a ton. they were wrong.
No that's been planned. I'm not watching it but I've read articles that he's taking a reduced role at ESPN and won't be doing the draft and NFL Countdown. I think those positions have gone to 2 different female anchors. I think he still may be involved in baseball. Whether it was a forced retirement or voluntary I don't know.
It's what THEY missed. They are missing profits because they have lost subscribers.
http://fortune.com/2017/03/08/espn-cost-cutting/
http://thefederalist.com/2017/04/26/the-real-story-behind-espns-wednesday-massacre/
Last edited:
Your post implies that this situation represents some shenanigans on ESPN's part.
I think not. This ****'s serious; they're in a world of trouble.