ESPN is the big story on CNBC today due to the massive loss of subscribers. DIS taking a hit in the stock price.
OT - ESPN has lost 7 million subscribers
- Thread starter preacherfan
- Start date
Yeah, kind of confusing. There couldn't have been 7 Million people to have Insider? Right?
As for Cable, I technically don't have ESPN anymore either, but that's not indicative of any trouble for ESPN. Lots are cutting cable.
As for Cable, I technically don't have ESPN anymore either, but that's not indicative of any trouble for ESPN. Lots are cutting cable.
"BooYaa" sports smartassery is getting old fast. I know they practically made college basketball unbearable with Vitale and especially Mike Patrick. I personally would rather have 10 root canals with no anesthesia than listen to Patrick call a Duke game.
All that biased reporting had to be a contributing factor. ESPN slobs on anything Patriots, Red sox, Duke basketball, Notre Dame football, Lebron, etc.
WildcatfaninOhio
All-American
I liked ESPN a lot better way back when they aired lots of sports. But for the past decade they've gotten away from what they did well, and they became the worldwide leader in sports talk shows. Except for a dozen UK games a year I almost never watch ESPN.
ESPN, in particular, has lost 7 million subscribers in two years.
It was in August that Disney CEO Bob Iger warned that ESPN suffered "some subscriber losses," but a regulatory filing late Wednesday indicates a fairly hefty number: 7 million subscribers in two years.
Disney disclosed that its most profitable TV asset has 92 million subscribers, down from 95 million a year ago and down from 99 million the year before that.
In fact, as Iger acknowledged in August — a revelation that sunk the stocks of the entire industry — Disney's cable TV channels in general have been losing subscribers for two years running, presumably as consumers cord-cut or cord-shave, taking much of their viewing online with Hulu, Netflix and others.
Disney's filing says that the domestic Disney Channel and domestic Disney XD each shed 4 million subscribers in two years while ABC Family lost 5 million. Lifetime, History and A&E, each of which is 50 percent owned by Disney, are all down.
Of Disney's primary cable channels, only Disney Junior and the international versions of both the Disney Channel and Disney XD showed growth in the past two years.
Disney shares rose 1 percent on Wednesday, perhaps in part on rising expectations for Pixar's The Good Dinosaur, which opens this weekend.
The conglomerate, though, filed its 10K late Wednesday as Wall Street traders were no doubt heading home for the Thanksgiving holiday, so it remains to be seen if the market reacts to the filing either during a shortened trading day Friday or during Monday's full session
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/disneys-cable-channels-see-steep-844007
It was in August that Disney CEO Bob Iger warned that ESPN suffered "some subscriber losses," but a regulatory filing late Wednesday indicates a fairly hefty number: 7 million subscribers in two years.
Disney disclosed that its most profitable TV asset has 92 million subscribers, down from 95 million a year ago and down from 99 million the year before that.
In fact, as Iger acknowledged in August — a revelation that sunk the stocks of the entire industry — Disney's cable TV channels in general have been losing subscribers for two years running, presumably as consumers cord-cut or cord-shave, taking much of their viewing online with Hulu, Netflix and others.
Disney's filing says that the domestic Disney Channel and domestic Disney XD each shed 4 million subscribers in two years while ABC Family lost 5 million. Lifetime, History and A&E, each of which is 50 percent owned by Disney, are all down.
Of Disney's primary cable channels, only Disney Junior and the international versions of both the Disney Channel and Disney XD showed growth in the past two years.
Disney shares rose 1 percent on Wednesday, perhaps in part on rising expectations for Pixar's The Good Dinosaur, which opens this weekend.
The conglomerate, though, filed its 10K late Wednesday as Wall Street traders were no doubt heading home for the Thanksgiving holiday, so it remains to be seen if the market reacts to the filing either during a shortened trading day Friday or during Monday's full session
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/disneys-cable-channels-see-steep-844007
I cut the cable cord a number of years ago. Got tired or either nothing on (with 200+ channels) or the same thing on over and over. And I really got tired of ESPN. Too much hype, everybody trying to be a 'jock', pretty face required on every event (whether she knows anything about the event or not), etc, etc. Don't miss it at all.
Read an article about a month ago about their loss of subscribers and how much $$$$ they had committed to long term deals for exclusive rights to different sporting events. Didn't look good at all. They're set to lose millions and millions.
Read an article about a month ago about their loss of subscribers and how much $$$$ they had committed to long term deals for exclusive rights to different sporting events. Didn't look good at all. They're set to lose millions and millions.
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Kinda of one twist to the story. ABC increased the cost to cable companies to broadcast to their subscribers the ABC sports companies, (probably other channels, ie: Disney channel)
It is no surprise the pocket that money came from. Subscribers are finding sources other than cable. (Just today I bought a ROKU3)
The punchline is ABC is making more money than before from those broadcasts rights.
NO sympathy from here for ABC or their stock holders..
It is no surprise the pocket that money came from. Subscribers are finding sources other than cable. (Just today I bought a ROKU3)
The punchline is ABC is making more money than before from those broadcasts rights.
NO sympathy from here for ABC or their stock holders..
I don't like Espn. But need it for games I watch. 90 percent of what they are broadcasting is a headache.
Lots of people are ditching cable and satellite and going for Roku, Chromecast, Netflix and other streaming services.
What does a ROKU3 do for you that a 'Smart' TV or Blu-Ray with apps doesn't? Anything? I saw a couple of ads for Black Friday that looked TVs made by ROKU. ??? Or maybe just with ROKU incorporated in it. Was going to check them out, but didn't feel like getting in any Thanksgiving Holidays fights/brawls over a TV.
They fired a bunch of good people who didn't deserve it. Friend of mine was their Tampa Bay Bucs beat writer and before that he covered the entire NFC South. They got rid of a bunch of guys like him so they could keep Chris Berman and guys like him who are beyond way overpaid.
I watch ESPN way too much to ditch it. I love college football, NFL, college basketball, etc. That along with SEC Network are must keeps for me. I do not view cable/satellite as that expensive...if I cut them out I'd just spend that money on equally (if not more) unimportant things.
Another once great institution being ran into the ground by a Tarheel.
Can't really comment on what the difference with a ROKU station and a smart TV. (older vizo) The thing that sold me on ROKU is that it is a separate processor, freeing up my laptop and desktop for other things. I feed it to my other TV/monitor. If you can tolerate commercials, there is alot of free video to watch. SlingTV provides me with everything SEC related on all the ESPN channels and streams well on ROKU station (~$26 a month for slingtv).What does a ROKU3 do for you that a 'Smart' TV or Blu-Ray with apps doesn't? Anything? I saw a couple of ads for Black Friday that looked TVs made by ROKU. ??? Or maybe just with ROKU incorporated in it. Was going to check them out, but didn't feel like getting in any Thanksgiving Holidays fights/brawls over a TV.
It really is absurd how much some of them make, but then again, ESPN is like the equivalent of the top business in its area (aka sports) so not a shocker their best salesman get paid such ridiculous sums. Mike and Mike get paid a crap ton as well. I can see their top guys getting maybe 250K+ a year, but I hear those two get million/s a year. That is a bit much for what they do.
BWO should make his own cable company
Thanks. Got a friend who has an older ROKU he uses with an older TV. So I don't think the ROKU3 does anything more (but I might check it out) than my smart TV and smart blu-rays do with all the different apps. They're all wireless so I can still use my computers, tablets, etc on my home network. Enjoy it UKvisitor.
With the station is a remote with headphone jack (earbuds included) for private or late night listening. Also, a voice search in the remote.
Software apps usually doesn't stand up better than hardware. JMO
Sling TV type of streaming is the future of ESPN. Cable model is dying. They need to embrace the over the top distribution system.
ESPN is just an example of a bad overall paradigm. Ditzy sideline women who look good but can't keep up without a cue card and elementary-level analysis from the guys upstairs. There's not one challenging aspect to their entire network, and people who want real, creative analysis simply don't get it. Audiences have seen it all for years and are tiring of it. Every time I see their NFL guys standing around in suits tossing a football into the air, folding their hands, I want to shoot my television.
Here's a shot of what I'm talking about. I freaking hate these segments.
Here's a shot of what I'm talking about. I freaking hate these segments.
I have a Roku2 for a dumb Sony flat screen and a smaller Samsung smart tv. The Roku seems to stream with less buffering issues and it is definitely easier to navigate once you install an app on your phone or iPad than the smart tv.
The Chicago-based sports radio guys say that it's widely known in sports media that Berman is loathed by many.
What does Berman bring to the table, the guy is never right, nor can he give better insight than anyone there. The guy is the Dave Baker of ESPN.
He added a new but annoying although unique style with his own but possibly plagiarized catch phrases.
They're getting too big and trying to do too much...kind of like Sears...
They've also started to venture outside of the arena of sports and into political and social commentary as well as the TMZ like sensationalizing and gossip...Dabbling here and there into important events and topics is fine, but it's almost become part of the regular cycle...
The world wide leader in sports needs to stick to just that...I'll flip to CNN, Fox, or MSNBC if I want to hear politics and social commentary...
I'll turn to TMZ when I want to see CC Sabathia stumbling and throwing fists outside a night club..
Tell be about Lebron's line for the game...not about the hoody and/or T-shirt he wore in support of some movement...he can do it, that's fine...I just don't need it to be broken down more in depth than the actual game analysis...
I don't need Johnny Football party updates...don't need to know about his relationship problems...
If somebody's mom or girlfriend says something on twitter...I don't give a F***...
When something like the Mizzou situation happens...I don't need around the clock coverage and for every program to report from the front lines and espouse their opinion on the matter...they can have their opinions, and if they feel so inclined to share them, they can write Op-Eds to the big newspapers...
They've gotten a little carried away with all the Oprah's Couch moments and cry your eyes out specials...sometimes it's like they go out of their way to find the most heart and gut wrenching story to fill time during Game Day...it sucks bad things happen to people especially little kids, and it's great that a coach or player signed a ball for them and invited them to practice...but I don't need to be crying my eyes out when I wake up saturday morning...give me some sports...I'll watch Oprah and Sixty Minutes when I want something more than a highlight reel and predictions for the up coming games...
Don't need to know every gay athlete...If Micheal Sam wants to share with his team and maybe announce on twitter, fine...perhaps it can go across the ticker at a dead hour...but I don't need to know who his boyfriend is, how they met, or what their families think about it...
If they want to squeeze in some extra stuff into an OTL special or ESPN 30 for 30...great...but things outside the realm of sports reporting, highlight reels, game analysis, etc do not need to be a part of the daily run down and be exhausted over and over again on every show...
and somebody needs to tell Skip to chill and not get so butt hurt over things...whenever the obligatory segment on the "Redskins" or someone used the "N word" come around he acts as if he is half native american and half african american and is personally affected by it...he get's more upset than Stephen A. when it comes to anything that can be misinterpreted as a racial issue...
They've also started to venture outside of the arena of sports and into political and social commentary as well as the TMZ like sensationalizing and gossip...Dabbling here and there into important events and topics is fine, but it's almost become part of the regular cycle...
The world wide leader in sports needs to stick to just that...I'll flip to CNN, Fox, or MSNBC if I want to hear politics and social commentary...
I'll turn to TMZ when I want to see CC Sabathia stumbling and throwing fists outside a night club..
Tell be about Lebron's line for the game...not about the hoody and/or T-shirt he wore in support of some movement...he can do it, that's fine...I just don't need it to be broken down more in depth than the actual game analysis...
I don't need Johnny Football party updates...don't need to know about his relationship problems...
If somebody's mom or girlfriend says something on twitter...I don't give a F***...
When something like the Mizzou situation happens...I don't need around the clock coverage and for every program to report from the front lines and espouse their opinion on the matter...they can have their opinions, and if they feel so inclined to share them, they can write Op-Eds to the big newspapers...
They've gotten a little carried away with all the Oprah's Couch moments and cry your eyes out specials...sometimes it's like they go out of their way to find the most heart and gut wrenching story to fill time during Game Day...it sucks bad things happen to people especially little kids, and it's great that a coach or player signed a ball for them and invited them to practice...but I don't need to be crying my eyes out when I wake up saturday morning...give me some sports...I'll watch Oprah and Sixty Minutes when I want something more than a highlight reel and predictions for the up coming games...
Don't need to know every gay athlete...If Micheal Sam wants to share with his team and maybe announce on twitter, fine...perhaps it can go across the ticker at a dead hour...but I don't need to know who his boyfriend is, how they met, or what their families think about it...
If they want to squeeze in some extra stuff into an OTL special or ESPN 30 for 30...great...but things outside the realm of sports reporting, highlight reels, game analysis, etc do not need to be a part of the daily run down and be exhausted over and over again on every show...
and somebody needs to tell Skip to chill and not get so butt hurt over things...whenever the obligatory segment on the "Redskins" or someone used the "N word" come around he acts as if he is half native american and half african american and is personally affected by it...he get's more upset than Stephen A. when it comes to anything that can be misinterpreted as a racial issue...
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Not any better than ESPN, and from what I've watched...quite inferior to be honest.
All of these damn sports contracts (SEC and so many more) running the costs through the roof. Not only do I have to pay for ESPN to be in my cable lineup, now I have to pay a $5.00 "Sports Programming Fee". No wonder....people are tired of their cable bills and dropping this crap because it's getting out of hand.
Still remember the beginning when the 'sports' on Entertainment and Sports Programming Network was basically Australian Rugby in the middle of the night.
And mid afternoon rugby. Berman irritated me then and he is consistent. His sportcenter caused me to tune out then.
Berman's shtick was funny at one time. Baseball is boring, at least compared to the other major sports, so he injected funny nicknames like Bert "Be Home" Blyleven into the highlights. And some of his trademark phrases like "back, back, back, back, gone!" and "He could...go...all...the...way" were funny at first. But he fell into the trap of falling in love with his own shtick. Once that happens, the horse-sized ego is out of the barn.
ESPN just settled a lawsuit on his behalf for sexual harassment. Knowing what I know of others who have worked there, the place is a swamp that needs to be drained.
ESPN just settled a lawsuit on his behalf for sexual harassment. Knowing what I know of others who have worked there, the place is a swamp that needs to be drained.
Exactly what we do. With Sling, I get Watch ESPN, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN News, Goal Line, Buzzer Beater, and the SEC Network, which pretty much covers all of my sports needs. I dropped cable about 8 months ago and haven't missed it. Charter calls me about once a week wanting to tell me about their deals, but I never let the caller get past the word Charter before hanging up.
Yep, many was the afternoon I got home from school and tuned in to a CFL game repeat. Edmonton with Warren Moon, Dieter Brock and the Blue Bombers, etc. Good times!
the telecom cartel can suck a big fat one. They're basically guilty of block booking and I hope they all take massive haircuts over the coming decade because of their anti-competitive practices.
I wouldn't mind seeing ESPN deep six. When it comes to actual sporting events, they do a good job. When it comes to sports information, I really don't need them to tell me what I should think. That's exactly what happens to a lot of sports fans these days. If they didn't see it on Sports Center or if it wasn't found in a puddle of talking head vomitus, they it didn't happen or couldn't be right. I think the sports world would be better off without them.
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