Deja vu: ESPN reportedly nearing deal to acquire NFLN, Red Zone

[203Pat]

Can't wait for more Screamin' A Smith and Pat Mcafee.

As for ESPN, the acquisition of high profile assets such as the NFL Network, Red Zone Channel and regular-season games would arm the Disney property with more NFL-related inventory with the debut of its DTC streaming service expected this fall. While an official launch date has yet to be revealed, we now know that it will cost $29.99 per month and merely be referred to as “ESPN.”

 

[Ian]

Can't wait for more Screamin' A Smith and Pat Mcafee.

As for ESPN, the acquisition of high profile assets such as the NFL Network, Red Zone Channel and regular-season games would arm the Disney property with more NFL-related inventory with the debut of its DTC streaming service expected this fall. While an official launch date has yet to be revealed, we now know that it will cost $29.99 per month and merely be referred to as “ESPN.”

$29.99 - followed by $34.99 ... $44.99 ... $59.99 ... $69.99 ... $84.99 ... $99.99 ...

 

[203Pat]

$29.99 - followed by $34.99 ... $44.99 ... $59.99 ... $69.99 ... $84.99 ... $99.99 ...

Coming full circle back to cable with all the bundles. I know EPSN+ already offers a bundle with Disney+ and Hulu. I have YouTube TV and they've already jacked up the price a couple times.

 

[Guts]

Can't wait for more Screamin' A Smith and Pat Mcafee.

As for ESPN, the acquisition of high profile assets such as the NFL Network, Red Zone Channel and regular-season games would arm the Disney property with more NFL-related inventory with the debut of its DTC streaming service expected this fall. While an official launch date has yet to be revealed, we now know that it will cost $29.99 per month and merely be referred to as “ESPN.”

I like mcafee

 

[203Pat]

I like mcafee

I can't stand that guy. Half Joe Rogan half WWE wrestler and a complete dipshit.

 

[Grogan14]

ESPN and Disney will now squeeze every last penny out of consumers while the NFL laughs all the way to the bank.
Greed on steroids.
Currently its only 10/month for red zone
By 2028 it will be 25-30/ mon on ESPN

 

[Guts]

I can't stand that guy. Half Joe Rogan half WWE wrestler and a complete dipshit.

Yeah he could be a bit obnoxious but his show is hilarious

 

[maust]

NFL fans thinking of their wallets

 

[jmt57]

I wasn't able to find the article, but I distinctly recall Robert Kraft saying a few years ago that the NFL no longer needed the NFL Network. If I recall correctly his premise was that the league considered the NFLN to be some sort of insurance, in case deals could not be agreed upon with the other networks that covered NFL games. With the NFL now seemingly getting whatever it wants in broadcasting rights, those concerns have evaporated.

Of course any reduction in competition is never a good thing for consumers (fans), as it allows a monopoly/oligopoly to raise prices (even if there is little or no increases in costs), while simultaneously decreasing any need to innovate or improve quality.

 

[FCB02062]

I wonder if free local broadcast days are numbered. I can see the goblins at the NFL conjuring up some plan and packaging it as "LOCAL TEAM DELUXE!" 29.99 a month or 99.99 for the full season! Complete access to 10 of your home teams games! (additional charge for 17 game LOCAL TEAM EXTREME PACKAGE.) **** the NFL

 

[WazzuWheatfarmer]

Haven’t viewed an espn show in years and I don’t plan to start now. Last time I saw an episode of “Sportscenter” their anchors were so laughable pathetic that I could not believe it. Some literally struggled to pronounce English words correctly. Bring back the style of show from the mid 90’s to early 2000’s with those types of anchors. Stick to sports again.

 

[scott99]

I can't stand that guy. Half Joe Rogan half WWE wrestler and a complete dipshit.

Agreed, the guy is a loud mouth dipshit enabler.

 

[p8ryts]

Haven’t viewed an espn show in years and I don’t plan to start now. Last time I saw an episode of “Sportscenter” their anchors were so laughable pathetic that I could not believe it. Some literally struggled to pronounce English words correctly. Bring back the style of show from the mid 90’s to early 2000’s with those types of anchors. Stick to sports again.

I still watch Get Up with breakfast sometimes when its football related. Nothing else.

 

[203Pat]

Haven’t viewed an espn show in years and I don’t plan to start now. Last time I saw an episode of “Sportscenter” their anchors were so laughable pathetic that I could not believe it. Some literally struggled to pronounce English words correctly. Bring back the style of show from the mid 90’s to early 2000’s with those types of anchors. Stick to sports again.

Being a kid getting ready for school with Sportscenter was the best. Stuart Scott, Rich Eisen, Scott Van Pelt, Dan Patrick, Steve Levy, Linda Cohn. What the show used to be. Two anchors recapping games, touching on standings, then onto top 10 plays. Not 25 minutes about whether Lebron will opt out in 6 months from now with the Lakers score on a score bug for 10 seconds while two sock puppets debate his legacy.

Maybe it is just nostalgia for me but ESPN around the turn of the millennium was the best. NFL Primetime, Sunday Night Baseball, Baseball Tonight, NFL Live, PTI (the only show they haven't screwed up). They were all about sports and highlights and not two idiots screaming hot takes back and forth.

 

[WhatJustHappened]

Pretty soon everything will be PPV, they've been leading us down that path for years.

 

[203Pat]

Pretty soon everything will be PPV, they've been leading us down that path for years.

I guarantee within the next decade the Super Bowl will be PPV.

 

[mike_usagisan]

I guarantee within the next decade the Super Bowl will be PPV.

If it's ever on streaming-only, isn't that the equivalent of PPV?

 

[203Pat]

If it's ever on streaming-only, isn't that the equivalent of PPV?

Basically, and it will likely be on Amazon Prime or ESPN+ or one of those exclusively very soon. The next (d)evolution will be a straight up boxing/UFC model where you pay to watch that one specific game. 10 years from now FanDuel will be exclusively streaming the Super Bowl that you can only access if you place $50 in bets through your TV's Face ID while AI bots stream live betting odds to the millisecond across the bottom of the screen.

 

[XLIX]

I guarantee within the next decade the Super Bowl will be PPV.

No.

 

[203Pat]

No.