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One of the best takes on today's ESPN layoffs
Posted on 4/26/17 at 3:42 pm
Posted on 4/26/17 at 3:42 pm
LINK
I know Deadspin has an anti-ESPN agenda and is not everyone's cup of tea, but this is very non-polemic, reasonable stuff.
I know Deadspin has an anti-ESPN agenda and is not everyone's cup of tea, but this is very non-polemic, reasonable stuff.
quote:
The big ESPN layoffs that everyone knew were coming finally arrived today, and the culling has been as brutal as anyone could have expected. Though the final number isn’t in yet, various reports have around 100 people losing their jobs, and many of the people who have been fired so far aren’t just long-time, front-facing employees, but those who, like Jayson Stark and Jane McManus, represent what ESPN is at its best: wired, experienced, deeply knowledgable, enthusiastic.
quote:
The impetus behind these layoffs is not mysterious (and has nothing to do with the network’s purportedly liberal politics). ESPN has been hemorrhaging subscribers for some time now as a result of cord-cutting, which hurts them much more than other networks given that they charge vastly higher carriage fees. With ESPN having to pay billions of dollars to sports leagues for the right to broadcast the must-see live events that allow it to charge those fees, the network is uniquely ill-equipped to deal with the sudden decline in revenue that comes with the loss of 10 million subscribers over the course of three years.
quote:
Sure, it’s possible that veterans like McManus and Stark and Ed Werder were carrying hefty salaries, but no amount of fired reporters and columnists is going to put even the tiniest dent in ESPN’s rights fees. Add up all the salaries of the people who lost their jobs today, and how much of a single Monday Night Football broadcast does it buy? Ten minutes? Fifteen?
quote:
In the end, the real solution to ESPN’s problems will involve much more severe changes than were made today. Perhaps the network will work in closer partnership with leagues and even competitors; perhaps it will find a way to offload deals it can no longer afford; perhaps it will seek some way to simply outgrow its present structural issues, with aid and backing from Disney and even cable carriers who are quite aware of just how much their industry looks right now the way newspapering did 15 years ago.
quote:
And that’s the truly tragic thing about today’s layoffs, that those who lost their jobs were essentially symbolic sacrifices. ESPN may have bought itself a little more slack from investors today, but its future remains just as uncertain as it was yesterday.
Meanwhile, good writers and reporters like Doug Padilla, Mike Goodman, Ethan Sherwood Strauss, and many others—people who were not on million-dollar contracts but nevertheless did quality work on important beats, providing the depth and texture that make the network something more than just a lot of branded content and screaming dullards—are jobless. A lot of good people lost their jobs today, and ESPN got a lot worse, and all of it was probably for no good reason.
12
Posted on 4/26/17 at 3:46 pm to Keys Open Doors
Pretty spot on IMO
Posted on 4/26/17 at 3:47 pm to Keys Open Doors
quote:
perhaps it will find a way to offload deals it can no longer afford
Bye bye Longhorn Network.
Posted on 4/26/17 at 3:52 pm to Keys Open Doors
Clay Travis had a pretty good take on it as well. I think it's a mix of things, can't pin it all on one issue.
Posted on 4/26/17 at 4:02 pm to Keys Open Doors
In my more cynical take, I blamed it on ESPN's complete capitulation on actually doing journalism, content to be a PR wag for the athletes and leagues they cover instead. I think that's true, too, but this article is right: it's all about rights fees at the end of the day.
The worst thing is for all of the cost to ESPN, it's not like they have a hammerlock on sports content. If you follow a local pro sports team, it's a near certainty you're watching a Fox Sports local affiliate to do so. And to watch a national league, what has ESPN really bought?
They have national deals with MLB, NBA, and NFL, but if you'e a fan of the NBA or MLB, you almost certainly prefer to follow the league through their own streaming apps/networks. The NFL is primarily on free TV. The smaller, niche sports of soccer and NHL are almost entirely on NBC or boutique networks like BeIn.
The only sports you NEED ESPN to follow is college football/basketball. They own college sports right now, which, frankly, aren't THAT popular. They've spent a ton of money to corner the market on live sports, and didn't even corner the market.
The worst thing is for all of the cost to ESPN, it's not like they have a hammerlock on sports content. If you follow a local pro sports team, it's a near certainty you're watching a Fox Sports local affiliate to do so. And to watch a national league, what has ESPN really bought?
They have national deals with MLB, NBA, and NFL, but if you'e a fan of the NBA or MLB, you almost certainly prefer to follow the league through their own streaming apps/networks. The NFL is primarily on free TV. The smaller, niche sports of soccer and NHL are almost entirely on NBC or boutique networks like BeIn.
The only sports you NEED ESPN to follow is college football/basketball. They own college sports right now, which, frankly, aren't THAT popular. They've spent a ton of money to corner the market on live sports, and didn't even corner the market.
Posted on 4/26/17 at 4:07 pm to Baloo
ESPN essentially admits with these layoffs that they are done with journalism. They are completely out of the sports journalism game.
They are pivoting away from local teams and journalism and going completely personality/hot take shows...and being mouthpieces for the leagues.
They are pivoting away from local teams and journalism and going completely personality/hot take shows...and being mouthpieces for the leagues.
Posted on 4/26/17 at 4:19 pm to Fun Bunch
quote:
ESPN essentially admits with these layoffs that they are done with journalism. They are completely out of the sports journalism game. They are pivoting away from local teams and journalism and going completely personality/hot take shows...and being mouthpieces for the leagues.
They're following the lead of all the other journalism/news channels out there, except ESPN is way behind. Loud, controversial, and often unfounded takes are all the rage today. Turn on CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, etc. and it is truly embarrassing, but those programs are increasing their viewership, something ESPN needs desperately. They're just trying to do what seems to be working elsewhere.
The old model is never coming back.
Posted on 4/26/17 at 4:22 pm to tWildcat
quote:
Clay Travis had a pretty good take on it as well
Everything in that Deadspin article Clay has been saying for MONTHS now.
Posted on 4/26/17 at 4:22 pm to slackster
I predict that sports leagues will all go Pay Per View / Streaming within 10 years.
You will pay a yearly fee for the NFL Season, NBA Season, MLB, NHL.
The playoffs will come on Network but that is it.
ESPN will be 100% Talking Head/Personality/Hot Take shows.
You will pay a yearly fee for the NFL Season, NBA Season, MLB, NHL.
The playoffs will come on Network but that is it.
ESPN will be 100% Talking Head/Personality/Hot Take shows.
Posted on 4/26/17 at 4:30 pm to Fun Bunch
There's been speculation about Apple buying Disney. I wonder if there's any repercussions from today's events on that.
Posted on 4/26/17 at 4:39 pm to slackster
The 24 hour news cycle has ruined our country. Period. We don't need 24 straight hours of bs. There is so much ubiquitous content that none of it matters. Significant news has no weight because it is part of the vast sea of crap.
Posted on 4/26/17 at 4:41 pm to Fun Bunch
quote:
I predict that sports leagues will all go Pay Per View / Streaming within 10 years. You will pay a yearly fee for the NFL Season, NBA Season, MLB, NHL. The playoffs will come on Network but that is it. ESPN will be 100% Talking Head/Personality/Hot Take shows.
I know a lot of you like to bash it on here but WWE has already provided the blue print for doing this. Their network at 9.99 a month has essentially all their content except for 2 weekly shows on USA. If the NFL did this, allowed you to choose game streams or redzone and on non game days just ran the NFL network content people would line up to pay $20 a month or more.
Cable companies have made a fortune screwing the public and constantly raises costs for years, the time for alacart programming is growing closer by the day.
Posted on 4/26/17 at 4:43 pm to LSU-MNCBABY
quote:
Their network at 9.99 a month has essentially all their content except for 2 weekly shows on USA. If the NFL did this, allowed you to choose game streams or redzone and on non game days just ran the NFL network content people would line up to pay $20 a month or more.
If they made it available on your Smart TV, Laptop, Ipad, Iphone, etc etc. it would do very well. Pretty much everyone would get it.
Posted on 4/26/17 at 4:45 pm to Keys Open Doors
I don't know how their contracts with all of the providers work but ESPN needs to quickly get a mobile/online presence and sell to their customers a la carte.
According to The Googles, they charge 7 bucks per month for cable. They can't get 20 bucks on their own? Even if only half the people go for it, they're still in great shape.
Combine that with still cutting a lot more fat and they're back in business.
According to The Googles, they charge 7 bucks per month for cable. They can't get 20 bucks on their own? Even if only half the people go for it, they're still in great shape.
Combine that with still cutting a lot more fat and they're back in business.
This post was edited on 4/26/17 at 4:47 pm
Posted on 4/26/17 at 4:48 pm to GIbson05
quote:
Everything in that Deadspin article Clay has been saying for MONTHS now.
And serious consumers of TV sports journalism have been seeing this coming for years
Fans of their respective sport tuned to that specific network years ago and away from ESPN. MLBN w poach a Jayson Stark, NFL will prob grab Werder etc. They will bury ESPN along w ltwitter and podcast (Barstool)
Posted on 4/26/17 at 4:51 pm to Keys Open Doors
CBS spends a fortune on NFL so they can attract viewers all day Sunday. They can then promote their other network shows. They can lose money on the NFL, but make money as a whole if their prime time shows benefit from the free advertising they receive on Sunday.
FOX was able to survive as a fledgling network because they bought the rights to the NFC. Their entire prime time lineup benefited.
ESPN doesn't have any programs worthwhile to cross promote. How much does their Saturday CFB schedule benefit from being mentioned on Monday night.
FOX was able to survive as a fledgling network because they bought the rights to the NFC. Their entire prime time lineup benefited.
ESPN doesn't have any programs worthwhile to cross promote. How much does their Saturday CFB schedule benefit from being mentioned on Monday night.
Posted on 4/26/17 at 4:55 pm to Fun Bunch
And Steve a smith still has a job
Posted on 4/26/17 at 4:55 pm to Keys Open Doors
ESPN's bloated payments to sports leagues was sure to turn on them at some point.
IMO- this is where the beginning of the sports bubble bursts. ESPN can't swing the big dick and make stupid offers to leagues, then the leagues take less tv money. Less tv money means less revenue to the teams, which affects salaries, and so on. For college athletics, it will be interesting to see how that plays out.
IMO- this is where the beginning of the sports bubble bursts. ESPN can't swing the big dick and make stupid offers to leagues, then the leagues take less tv money. Less tv money means less revenue to the teams, which affects salaries, and so on. For college athletics, it will be interesting to see how that plays out.
Posted on 4/26/17 at 4:56 pm to Keys Open Doors
Their on air "talent" is worthless.
Almost nobody watches ESPN for anything other than the sporting events.
They could replace all their non-sporting event programming with reruns of classic sporting events and their ratings and reputation would only go up.
How many millions of dollars would you pay Chris Berman a year to drunkingly stammer out 25 year old catch phrases? Are people really tuning in to ESPN for that?
Sadly cable is a rigged game and ratings play only a small part in revenue. In order to stick it to ESPN you need to cancel your cable entirely.
Almost nobody watches ESPN for anything other than the sporting events.
They could replace all their non-sporting event programming with reruns of classic sporting events and their ratings and reputation would only go up.
How many millions of dollars would you pay Chris Berman a year to drunkingly stammer out 25 year old catch phrases? Are people really tuning in to ESPN for that?
Sadly cable is a rigged game and ratings play only a small part in revenue. In order to stick it to ESPN you need to cancel your cable entirely.
Posted on 4/26/17 at 4:57 pm to slackster
quote:
The old model is never coming back.
it has just shifted to places like SBnation
SB's CFB writers are so much better than ESPNs
This post was edited on 4/26/17 at 4:58 pm
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