OT: Is ESPN living on borrowed time?

[PonyExpress]

It's hard to believe a monopoly that seems so powerful could be teetering on the verge of extinction, but... MLB is trying to set up its own in house network, as the NFL did with the NFL Network. Once those two channels reach close to 100% saturation around the country, how can ESPN continue to exist in its current form?. The NFL would just air its own games, as would baseball, receiving the ad revenue directly, without any cable middle man (ESPN) necessary. I imagine ESPN realizes this, and for that reason is promoting college football and basketball more extensively, and even went so far as to purchase the arena football league (laugh track)... what does it mean for the broadcast networks, whose life's blood is nfl football, that the NFL network will soon reach most households in the US? As for all those suggesting a "boycott" of the Globe, that probably won't be necessary, since the paper continues to hemmorhage money at an alarming rate. The NYTimes will probably be forced to jettison the Globe sooner rather than later. The Globe as an institution in its current form is probably on its last legs.The brand name will survive but it will be forced to transition into something "new and strange" over the next decade.

 

[QuiGon]

It's hard to believe a monopoly that seems so powerful could be teetering on the verge of extinction, but... MLB is trying to set up its own in house network, as the NFL did with the NFL Network. Once those two channels reach close to 100% saturation around the country, how can ESPN continue to exist in its current form?. The NFL would just air its own games, as would baseball, receiving the ad revenue directly, without any cable middle man (ESPN) necessary.

I cannot speak for baseball, but where football is concerned the ad revenue tends to not equal or exceed the broadcasting fee. The NFL is so prestigious, that networks actually pay over and above for broadcasting rights. So, in other words, to "eliminate the middle man" would reduce revenue for the league.

So why would a network pay more than ad revenue brings in...? Because having the NFL provides so many ancillary benefits; a network's ratings (and their prestige) across the board tends to go up. Both CBS and NBC learned this lesson the hard way.

 

[JustWinBrady]

ESPN just added NASCAR to their lineup.

 

[Tunescribe]

As for all those suggesting a "boycott" of the Globe, that probably won't be necessary, since the paper continues to hemmorhage money at an alarming rate. The NYTimes will probably be forced to jettison the Globe sooner rather than later. The Globe as an institution in its current form is probably on its last legs.The brand name will survive but it will be forced to transition into something "new and strange" over the next decade.

I am curious to see whether the Globe brass will temper the paper's elitist approach to news and sports coverage and rein in people like Borges who habitually alienate readers. They might not realize the harm they're doing to themselves in this regard.

 

[SCPatBoy]

The NFL was very careful with it's channel and airing games. MLB or the NFL would have to go through to many goverment regulatory hurdles to make there games only viewable on there channel or channels. It isn't going to happen.

 

[Ghost of Ben Dreith]

No...sad to say, but ESPN will still live on and thrive regardless of what MLB or the NFL networks do. I don't believe you will ever see either the NFL or MLB ever completely force out major networks. It would be against their best interests in reaching major markets and new fans. Existing fans would still go and pay for the games, but the new fan base would dry up if coverage was unavailable on a general use (major network) station.

Beyond the previously mentioned NASCAR and college games, ESPN has also been branching out more in podcasts and cell phone service, etc.

Besides all that, if everything I think on this is BS and ESPN does face a reckoning, I for once would pay to become an ESPN Insider to hear the magic words; "Golic, we now welcome our WNBA insider to give us some insight into the upcoming ESPN WNBA game of the week". Mike, please welcome the Professor, John Clayton...our WNBA analyst".

 

[PonyExpress]

ESPN makes most of its money from the NFL: NFL shows that provide commentary, the NFL draft, NFL pregame. They are cheap to produce and attract maximum viewership, even in the offseason. All ESPN has to do is say "NFL" and people watch. Once the NFLNetwork can reach the same audience, viewers will likely go to the NFL Network to get their football "commentary" fix, not ESPN. This would be a severe blow to ESPN. And baseball's new network, whether or not it chooses to air "all" of its games, will still provide the in-depth, "insider" coverage that will supercede ESPN's coverage on "baseball tonight". Also, in order to justify reaching a broad cable audience, baseball will have to air some important games on its new network. That is the way the NFL is leveraging its network into the main stream. The combination of losing primacy in football and baseball coverage seems like it would be a punishing blow to ESPN, regardless of whether either league continues to sell its broadcast rights or not...

 

[Sean Pa Patriot]

ESPN just added NASCAR to their lineup.

Im trying not to laugh at this statement... Sorry just not a fan of something I do everyday..

 

[upstater1]

It's hard to believe a monopoly that seems so powerful could be teetering on the verge of extinction, but... MLB is trying to set up its own in house network, as the NFL did with the NFL Network. Once those two channels reach close to 100% saturation around the country, how can ESPN continue to exist in its current form?. The NFL would just air its own games, as would baseball, receiving the ad revenue directly, without any cable middle man (ESPN) necessary. I imagine ESPN realizes this, and for that reason is promoting college football and basketball more extensively, and even went so far as to purchase the arena football league (laugh track)... what does it mean for the broadcast networks, whose life's blood is nfl football, that the NFL network will soon reach most households in the US? As for all those suggesting a "boycott" of the Globe, that probably won't be necessary, since the paper continues to hemmorhage money at an alarming rate. The NYTimes will probably be forced to jettison the Globe sooner rather than later. The Globe as an institution in its current form is probably on its last legs.The brand name will survive but it will be forced to transition into something "new and strange" over the next decade.

They show one game a week, no? That's not too big of a loss at all.

 

[DaBruinz]

Im trying not to laugh at this statement... Sorry just not a fan of something I do everyday..

You drive a car 500 miles a day going 188 mph every day? WOW. Amazing.

 

[JoeSixPat]

A round the clock sports network? That's never going to work. It's just dumb.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l33ohfzgk9k

 

[Canada's #1 Pats Fan]

ESPN will have to wrestle the NHL from Versus network if they have any chance of surviving. It is a good thing that the Pofessional Bowlers Tour is on ESPN's parent network ABC - maybe ABC will give that up to help bolster ESPN's ratings.

 

[TomBrady'sGoat]

keep dreaming. i hate espn and wish for their downfall, but it isn't going to happen. the network is more successful than ever and little of it is due to live games.

they drum up controversy and then discuss those controversies ad naseum. they push these controversies on tv, over the radio, and on the internet.

they also have their personalities, and push them on us through the three forums mentioned above. in lieu of showing games they can just put these personalities on tv and have them create more controversies for them to report on.

espn is going nowhere. it will only grow and become worse and worse.

 

[everlong]

I hate ESPN but most of the country doesn't. They like the hype. It's not going any where.

 

[The Gr8est]

Maybe it's just me, and maybe it will pass, but I can honestly say that since the Pats lost to Indy I haven't been to the ESPN website and have not watched ESPN on tv....not once!

Sure I was disappointed by the results of the game, but ESPN has been so unfair to the Pats for so long, and I just didn't have the stomach to watch the gloating that was sure to follow after the "blind squirrel finally found an acorn".

Come the NFL draft I will be back to watch, but right now I have zero interest in visiting there.

 

[PonyExpress]

keep dreaming. i hate espn and wish for their downfall, but it isn't going to happen. the network is more successful than ever and little of it is due to live games.

they drum up controversy and then discuss those controversies ad naseum. they push these controversies on tv, over the radio, and on the internet.

they also have their personalities, and push them on us through the three forums mentioned above. in lieu of showing games they can just put these personalities on tv and have them create more controversies for them to report on.

espn is going nowhere. it will only grow and become worse and worse.

Wake up. The media landscape is changing. ESPN has had a cable monopoly on sports information, leeching off of the NFL's cash cow. When the NFL's fledgling network reaches its potential, which it will very soon, no one will go to ESPN for NFL info when they can just as easily get the inside access available on the NFL network. That will devastate ESPN. Just because something has been a certain way for a decade, doesn't mean it will stay that way. Noone maintains the kind of monoply ESPN has enjoyed for long. Competitors were bound to rise and knock it off its perch. If the NYTimes plans to abandon printing newspapers and move exclusively to on-line publication in the next decade, anything in the media is possible.

 

[SoonerPatriot]

Already extinct with this viewer. The fact everyone on the network openly rooted for one team to beat another during the playoffs left a sour taste that won't be going away. John Clayton's never-ending misinformation campaign against the Patriots. Stu "Cross Eyes" Scott made Sportscenter unwatchable years ago. About all they've got going for them is the NFL draft.

The NFL Network is not great shakes either. Adam Schefter's obvious psy-op/distraction campaign leading up the AFC title game involving McDaniels and the Raiders job is something I won't forget. McDaniels was never a canidate for the Raiders job and we know that now.

 

[Sean Pa Patriot]

You drive a car 500 miles a day going 188 mph every day? WOW. Amazing.

No ,but I drive a car... I dont play football , baseball or basketball anymore.. I just dont understand the facination behind this thing they call nascar.. I know it drives in about a million fans, but to me give me the 3 major sports, plus the masters on Easter sunday, and I am happy...

 

[Fanfrom1960]

No ,but I drive a car... I dont play football , baseball or basketball anymore.. I just dont understand the facination behind this thing they call nascar.. I know it drives in about a million fans, but to me give me the 3 major sports, plus the masters on Easter sunday, and I am happy...

This bull**** about poker being a sport drives me insane at about six times the rate as NASCAR. I don't care for NASCAR either, but at least it requires some semblance of physical, vision and motor skills to exceed.

As for ESPN hating the Patriots, their still #1 guy, Chris Berman, always picks them.