| OT They lost 22,000 subs a day, 8 million last year which is 10% of their base. A billion dollar loss for ESPN networks.

[1CrimsonTider]

They're still bleeding. 10 years ago they were 100 million strong for subscribers and now have lost 25% of that base: end of year 2021 with 750 million.

How low will it go? We don’t know. There seems to a consensus that sports is helping to set a floor in the number of cable and satellite households out there and that consensus appears to be that around 50 million subscribers is the floor. Assuming that’s right then in the space of about twenty years ESPN’s business will have been cut in half, from 100 million cable and satellite subscribers to 50 million subscribers. That is, what projected to be a $12 billion a year business will become a $6 billion a year business in the next five years.

Mash for more.

 

[alabama mike]

Sportscenter is a joke, programming is lame and fans are tired of the same ole crap.

 

[PurlJam]

Sportscenter is a joke, programming is lame and fans are tired of the same ole crap.

They've transitioned into politics. I care as much about what they believe in as much as they do mine. Pretty sure I'm not ever gonna have one of those "Free Brittney Griner" T- shirts.

 

[TerryP]

Sportscenter is a joke, programming is lame and fans are tired of the same ole crap.

To me this is a lot like people debating CNN and Fox. They'll quickly point to opinion shows and dismiss the network in spite of their news reports being just that; news reports.

Sportscenter, in the fall, is still a good watch on Saturdays and Sundays. Their opinion shows, like Around the Horn, are where they cross the line: most of the time.

In the last week on ATH Mark Jones said a Tennessee player was out because he tested positive for PED's. Not a bit of truth there. Also this past week Andande claimed genocide in China was no worse than requiring an ID to vote. The latest was Sarah Spain calling MLB players "bigots" because they didn't wear the Gay Pride patches on their uniforms for religious convictions.

Those situations are where ESPN has jumped the shark.

(Elle Duncan deserves spotlight as well with her moment of silence during a live broadcast because of leak of the abortion draft.)

It's funny in retrospect. According to some of their on-air personalities we're supposed to "stay in our lane" when guys like Steve Kerr and LeBron James lecture on society. Opposite opinions aren't warranted nor needed. But when MLB players express their beliefs now they're supposed to "stay in their lane."

 

[PurlJam]

To me this is a lot like people debating CNN and Fox. They'll quickly point to opinion shows and dismiss the network in spite of their news reports being just that; news reports.

Sportscenter, in the fall, is still a good watch on Saturdays and Sundays. Their opinion shows, like Around the Horn, are where they cross the line: most of the time.

In the last week on ATH Mark Jones said a Tennessee player was out because he tested positive for PED's. Not a bit of truth there. Also this past week Andande claimed genocide in China was no worse than requiring an ID to vote. The latest was Sarah Spain calling MLB players "bigots" because they didn't wear the Gay Pride patches on their uniforms for religious convictions.

Those situations are where ESPN has jumped the shark.

(Elle Duncan deserves spotlight as well with her moment of silence during a live broadcast because of leak of the abortion draft.)

It's funny in retrospect. According to some of their on-air personalities we're supposed to "stay in our lane" when guys like Steve Kerr and LeBron James lecture on society. Opposite opinions aren't warranted nor needed. But when MLB players express their beliefs now they're supposed to "stay in their lane.

I still watch Van Pelt when he does SC. Most any other time I just catch highlights with the sound muted.

 

[TerryP]

I still watch Van Pelt when he does SC

I do as well. Thanks for adding that.

In the wake of several reporters wanting to cancel the season during Covid I've entertained this idea on a few occasions: "Do you even like sports?"

SVP weighed in:

Scott Van Pelt to reporters: 'Do you even like sports'

Do the people who cover sports actually enjoy them? ESPN's Scott Van Pelt seems to think that there are plenty who don't.

awfulannouncing.com

 

[PurlJam]

I do as well. Thanks for adding that.

In the wake of several reporters wanting to cancel the season during Covid I've entertained this idea on a few occasions: "Do you even like sports?"

SVP weighed in:

Scott Van Pelt to reporters: 'Do you even like sports'

Do the people who cover sports actually enjoy them? ESPN's Scott Van Pelt seems to think that there are plenty who don't.

awfulannouncing.com

There’s also a more straight forward issue of not being fan of what you’re covering. And to an extent, Van Pelt is off base here.

Not being a fan can be a good thing. One of the keys to covering a subject is remaining neutral.

Calling BS on the writer here. IMO, I don't think not being a fan can be the same as remaining neutral in the sport you're covering. I'm not a fan of Soccer and I can guarantee you wouldn't want me covering the sport not because I'm not a fan but more so I wouldn't know what the hell I was talking about. Put it simple, you don't want a plumber wiring your house.

 

[Davestwin]

To me this is a lot like people debating CNN and Fox. They'll quickly point to opinion shows and dismiss the network in spite of their news reports being just that; news reports.

Sportscenter, in the fall, is still a good watch on Saturdays and Sundays. Their opinion shows, like Around the Horn, are where they cross the line: most of the time.

In the last week on ATH Mark Jones said a Tennessee player was out because he tested positive for PED's. Not a bit of truth there. Also this past week Andande claimed genocide in China was no worse than requiring an ID to vote. The latest was Sarah Spain calling MLB players "bigots" because they didn't wear the Gay Pride patches on their uniforms for religious convictions.

Those situations are where ESPN has jumped the shark.

(Elle Duncan deserves spotlight as well with her moment of silence during a live broadcast because of leak of the abortion draft.)

It's funny in retrospect. According to some of their on-air personalities we're supposed to "stay in our lane" when guys like Steve Kerr and LeBron James lecture on society. Opposite opinions aren't warranted nor needed. But when MLB players express their beliefs now they're supposed to "stay in their lane."

I agree with everything you said except comparing Fox’s news component with CNN’s news component. At least Fox’s news folks try to play it straight. CNN’s news folks no longer even mask their leftist bias. Though to call it bias is a misnomer … the lamestream media left bias behind in 2007 and moved forward full tilt with being leftist propagandists. Most people still see it as bias though so I’ll use it here. Bias isn’t always shown in what is said … it can be shown even more strongly by what’s not said and by what stories they don’t cover.