TheBostonStraggler
Experienced Starter w/First Big Contract
- Joined
- May 21, 2006
- Messages
- 6,318
- Reaction score
- 5,687
While ESPN's appalling actions likely have some sort of factor (I wish I could say it is the driving factor and the sub drop is 1:1 justice), the sub drop is the reality of Internet bandwidth speeds improving (easily achieving sufficient mbps throughput to allow RTSP), remaining affordable, most important Internet becoming a higher priority household expense (we already have and must have Internet! Why do we need Cable TV?), and content from the Internet becoming very wide (gee honey, I went to this site, clicked the link, and that movie currently in theaters started playing. Huh, imagine that).
Given those factors the laughable approx. 6$ sub fee charged by ESPN made it a house of cards. This was going to happen to ESPN whether they were the DHs they are or the swellest guys in town. And I can't see any way out of ESPN's continued drop (with the highly unlikely exception they come up with a new scam that brings in equivalent revenue some other way. Every subscriber to ESPN get a free set of mickey mouse ears? A free burger at any Disney park?).
No doubt ESPN will endure but it will no longer be TV ubiquitous. They may endure as 80% of what they were or, more likely, they are in for a more shocking drop sooner rather than later.
As Internet provides more and more of what people want for TV content (and over time devices/apps/protocols will allow getting the content and manipulating the content easier and easier) and as these people jump from Comcast and DirecTV to just Internet TV content, Comcast and DirecTV will have to change their current captive sub packages else join ESPN in its nosedive. Further, eventually the bubbleheads in government will not be able to hold back the water they currently do hold back to the benefit of many non OTA TV networks. Cable/Sat will have to be able to deliver only the wanted content to reduce pricing and compete with people saying "we already have Internet, why do we need to pay for a TV feed".
Despite the news today about ESPN, D-Day for ESPN has not yet arrived (as in D-Day where ESPN is an Axis power). The fall in revenue will be shocking. Then the swamp at the NFL offices will rev into a MUCH higher gear for getting their content to viewers without ESPN as their boot polishing lackey (The super duper terrific happy hour NFLchannel.com game of the week. Watch the game and win fabulous prizes like a pizza with mr Ed!).
Sound like a wild far fetched tale? You can bet the mortgage payment that Comcast, DirecTV, the NFL are already working on the plans for unbundled packaging. Just saying the words "unbundled packaging" makes Mickey Mouse start to weep.
Given those factors the laughable approx. 6$ sub fee charged by ESPN made it a house of cards. This was going to happen to ESPN whether they were the DHs they are or the swellest guys in town. And I can't see any way out of ESPN's continued drop (with the highly unlikely exception they come up with a new scam that brings in equivalent revenue some other way. Every subscriber to ESPN get a free set of mickey mouse ears? A free burger at any Disney park?).
No doubt ESPN will endure but it will no longer be TV ubiquitous. They may endure as 80% of what they were or, more likely, they are in for a more shocking drop sooner rather than later.
As Internet provides more and more of what people want for TV content (and over time devices/apps/protocols will allow getting the content and manipulating the content easier and easier) and as these people jump from Comcast and DirecTV to just Internet TV content, Comcast and DirecTV will have to change their current captive sub packages else join ESPN in its nosedive. Further, eventually the bubbleheads in government will not be able to hold back the water they currently do hold back to the benefit of many non OTA TV networks. Cable/Sat will have to be able to deliver only the wanted content to reduce pricing and compete with people saying "we already have Internet, why do we need to pay for a TV feed".
Despite the news today about ESPN, D-Day for ESPN has not yet arrived (as in D-Day where ESPN is an Axis power). The fall in revenue will be shocking. Then the swamp at the NFL offices will rev into a MUCH higher gear for getting their content to viewers without ESPN as their boot polishing lackey (The super duper terrific happy hour NFLchannel.com game of the week. Watch the game and win fabulous prizes like a pizza with mr Ed!).
Sound like a wild far fetched tale? You can bet the mortgage payment that Comcast, DirecTV, the NFL are already working on the plans for unbundled packaging. Just saying the words "unbundled packaging" makes Mickey Mouse start to weep.
