Is ESPN Doomed?

[Uncle Rico]

https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2023/10/nfl-ratings-up-four-five-networks-multi-year-highs-cbs-nbc-mnf/

[Pakuni]

https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2023/10/nfl-ratings-up-four-five-networks-multi-year-highs-cbs-nbc-mnf/

The NFL remains doomed.

[Not A Serious Person]

Then buy Disney's stock right now.

ESPN is the central part of its revenue, more significant than ABC and movies.

Its stock is at an 11-year low.  And it has been in free fall since the ESPN results were released last week. It is a major bargain!!

Get rich!!!

[Not A Serious Person]

The NFL remains doomed.

And what are the networks paying for these ratings? (addressed in the previous pages)

[Uncle Rico]

The NFL remains doomed.

I'm beginning to think the NFL will be fine. 

[Not A Serious Person]

I'm beginning to think the NFL will be fine.

This thread is about ESPN.

Goalpost shifting --- which applies as we are talking about football.

[Uncle Rico]

The NFL with Taylor Swift is even bigger

https://www.businessinsider.com/taylor-swift-made-nfl-more-popular-in-america-us-2023-9?amp

[Not A Serious Person]

The NFL with Taylor Swift is even bigger

https://www.businessinsider.com/taylor-swift-made-nfl-more-popular-in-america-us-2023-9?amp

Are you buying Disney?

[rocket surgeon]

Yes, and?

  reeko fills that age 6-12 metric espn is counting on lifting their stock back to the "back-back-back" good ole days.  you know the kids who pester their mommies and daddies to buy them espn chit and blow crazy inflated amounts of money at disney world

[Uncle Rico]

  reeko fills that age 6-12 metric espn is counting on lifting their stock back to the "back-back-back" good ole days.  you know the kids who pester their mommies and daddies to buy them espn chit and blow crazy inflated amounts of money at disney world

3.5 out of 10

[TSmith34, Inc.]

3.5 out of 10

I don't think his heart was really in that one. Felt mailed in.

[Uncle Rico]

I don't think his heart was really in that one. Felt mailed in.

It was.  I think it was supposed to be insulting to me but lacked any real creativity. 

[Not A Serious Person]

ESPN is the biggest loser here

For the first time, cable and broadcast makes up less than half of TV viewing
https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/15/media/cable-broadcast-tv-decline-nielsen-report/index.html

In July, linear TV made up less than half of all TV viewing, according to Nielsen. Both broadcast and cable "each represented record low shares" of total viewership, the firm's report said, making up just 49.6% combined. Meanwhile streaming services, such as Netflix and YouTube, grew last month to a record high of 38.7% of all total TV watching.

Broadcast viewership dropped 3.6% in July, making up just 20% of all TV viewership, and cable viewing dropped 2.9%, making up 29.6%. Year-over-year, broadcast viewership slid 5.4% and cable TV dropped 12.5%.

But streaming jumped 25.3% year over year in July, with three services hitting record highs in shares: YouTube, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. YouTube is the most popular streaming option, making up 9.2% of the category, followed by Netflix (8.5%) and Hulu, at 3.6%.

[Jockey]

Did ESPN hire another Lib to get Douchy all pissed off?

[Not A Serious Person]

Did ESPN hire another Lib to get Douchy all pissed off?

This is embarrassing. Now put your back in it and try again with the obligatory insult.

Otherwise, delete your account.

[ATL MU Warrior]

ESPN is the biggest loser here

For the first time, cable and broadcast makes up less than half of TV viewing
https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/15/media/cable-broadcast-tv-decline-nielsen-report/index.html

In July, linear TV made up less than half of all TV viewing, according to Nielsen. Both broadcast and cable "each represented record low shares" of total viewership, the firm's report said, making up just 49.6% combined. Meanwhile streaming services, such as Netflix and YouTube, grew last month to a record high of 38.7% of all total TV watching.

Broadcast viewership dropped 3.6% in July, making up just 20% of all TV viewership, and cable viewing dropped 2.9%, making up 29.6%. Year-over-year, broadcast viewership slid 5.4% and cable TV dropped 12.5%.

But streaming jumped 25.3% year over year in July, with three services hitting record highs in shares: YouTube, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. YouTube is the most popular streaming option, making up 9.2% of the category, followed by Netflix (8.5%) and Hulu, at 3.6%.

The strikes contributed to a really poor last few months for broadcast networks but if you look at these things over the long term, broadcast viewership always takes a dive in the summer and comes back up in the fall driven by NFL, CFB and season premieres. Remains to be seen if the fall bump occurs this year. Streaming is growing like crazy. 

Not sure how you determined that ESPN was the biggest loser from this but that's par for the course.

[Not A Serious Person]

The strikes contributed to a really poor last few months for broadcast networks but if you look at these things over the long term, broadcast viewership always takes a dive in the summer and comes back up in the fall driven by NFL, CFB and season premieres. Remains to be seen if the fall bump occurs this year. Streaming is growing like crazy. 

Not sure how you determined that ESPN was the biggest loser from this but that's par for the course.

Are they not the largest cable network? And if linear TV is falling below 50%, the lowest ever, doesn't this mean that the largest cable network would be the biggest loser?

If not, tell me who it would be.

Birdie for the course.  You don't get a mulligan.

[ATL MU Warrior]

Are they not the largest cable network? And if linear TV is falling below 50%, the lowest ever, doesn't this mean that the largest cable network would be the biggest loser?

If not, tell me who it would be.

Birdie for the course.  You don't get a mulligan.

ESPN is not the "largest" (I assume you mean highest rated) linear network. They are well behind the broadcast networks. 

I don't have the ratings data available, but I would bet that the broadcast networks had the largest ratings declines as their primary programming (prime time and late night) have been either in reruns or the 8th iteration of the masked singer for the last few months. ESPN probably actually fared pretty well since they are live sports focused and that content remained new for obvious reasons.

It will be interesting to see what happens when the networks get back to original scripted prime time shows. I personally think the cow is out of the barn and the broadcast networks are dying a slow, mostly self-inflicted death. 

[Hidden User]

ESPN is not the "largest" (I assume you mean highest rated) linear network. They are well behind the broadcast networks. 

I don't have the ratings data available, but I would bet that the broadcast networks had the largest ratings declines as their primary programming (prime time and late night) have been either in reruns or the 8th iteration of the masked singer for the last few months. ESPN probably actually fared pretty well since they are live sports focused and that content remained new for obvious reasons.

It will be interesting to see what happens when the networks get back to original scripted prime time shows. I personally think the cow is out of the barn and the broadcast networks are dying a slow, mostly self-inflicted death.

Wrong, it's the ones that are woke

[Not A Serious Person]

ESPN is not the "largest" (I assume you mean highest rated) linear network. They are well behind the broadcast networks. 

I don't have the ratings data available, but I would bet that the broadcast networks had the largest ratings declines as their primary programming (prime time and late night) have been either in reruns or the 8th iteration of the masked singer for the last few months. ESPN probably actually fared pretty well since they are live sports focused and that content remained new for obvious reasons.

It will be interesting to see what happens when the networks get back to original scripted prime time shows. I personally think the cow is out of the barn and the broadcast networks are dying a slow, mostly self-inflicted death.

Ok, I stand corrected. Thanks for making me look it up.

ESPN is the second-largest cable loser behind Fox News and the fourth-biggest loser after ABC and NBS (I'm excluding Prime Video).  But they are the largest sports loser ahead of CBS and Fox broadcast networks.



https://www.nationalmediaspots.com/stats-us-cable-broadcast-tv-network-rankings.php
1   Prime Video   11,015,000   3.49   +2%
2   ABC   2,925,000   0.93   -5%
3   NBC   2,225,000   0.71   -14%
4   Fox News   2,199,000   0.70   -10%
5   ESPN   2,170,000   0.69   -1%
6   CBS   2,047,000   0.65   -45%
7   FOX   1,695,000   0.54   -85%


I personally think the cow is out of the barn and the broadcast networks are dying a slow, mostly self-inflicted death.

I 100% agree, and this is why Disney is trying to get rid of ESPN and talking about selling it to the NFL and/or NBA (posts above).

[Pakuni]

Do some people (or one person) here not realize that streaming services like YouTube TV, Hulu and Sling carry ESPN?

[Not A Serious Person]

Do some people (or one person) here not realize that streaming services like YouTube TV, Hulu and Sling carry ESPN?

Ranking of television networks based on the most recent, aggregated ratings data. The audience figures are derived from the latest Nielsen daily, weekly, or monthly P2+ network audience averages.

Do some people (or one person) here not realize that these ratings numbers include all (or aggregate) sources?

[Pakuni]

Ranking of television networks based on the most recent, aggregated ratings data. The audience figures are derived from the latest Nielsen daily, weekly, or monthly P2+ network audience averages.

Do some people (or one person) here not realize that these ratings numbers include all (or aggregate) sources?

Cool. But that has nothing to do with the initial article you posted in which you tried to claim ESPN is the "biggest loser" because fewer people are watching broadcast and cable.
That quote comes from your second link.
Bad faith at every turn.

[Not A Serious Person]

January 2, 2024

Americans Are Canceling More of Their Streaming Services

https://www.wsj.com/business/media/americans-are-canceling-more-of-their-streaming-services-fb9284c8

Hulu, Netflix and other streamers are turning to bundles, discounts and ad-supported plans as customer defections rise

About one-quarter of U.S. subscribers to major streaming services—a group that includes Apple TV+, Discovery+, Disney+, Hulu, Max, Netflix, Paramount+, Peacock and Starz—have canceled at least three of them over the past two years, according to November data from subscription-analytics provider Antenna.

Two years ago, that number stood at 15%, a sign that streaming users are becoming increasingly fickle.

——-
ESPN Has Lost Almost 4 Million Subscribers and MLB Network Has Lost Over 11 Million Subscribers in the Last Year as Cord Cutting Grows

https://cordcuttersnews.com/espn-has-lost-almost-4-million-subscribers-and-mlb-network-has-lost-over-11-million-subscribers-in-the-last-year-as-cord-cutting-grows/


ESPN has lost 4 million subscribers since December of 2022, according to a report from Nielsen and published by SportsTVRatings. The report found MLB Network had been hit the hardest, losing over 11 million subscribers, or more than a quarter of all of its TV subscribers. (MLB Network was dropped by YouTube TV earlier this year.)

Other networks have felt the pressure too. During the last 12 months, FS1 lost over 3 million, BTN lost over 2 million, and TNT lost more than 4 million. One surprise is the NFL Network, which only lost 281,000 thanks to new deals with players like DIRECTV STREAM.
This all comes as the U.S. added 1.2 million new TV homes in 2023. Increasingly cord cutters are ditching any traditional pay TV service, whether that be cable TV or a live TV streaming service, in favor of on-demand-only services like Max and Netflix.

With numbers like 4 million fewer paying customers, you can see why ESPN wants to launch its own streaming service. This may help ESPN recover some lost subscribers and lost revenue. But that service is not expected to launch until sometime in 2025.

[Uncle Rico]

Monster ratings for the Rose Bowl

https://deadline.com/2024/01/college-football-semifinal-ratings-rose-sugar-bowl-washington-michigan-1235694090/amp/