Nationally Televised Games

[illiniwarriors]

Marquette basketball has become unwatchable even to their loyal fan base so we are probably lucky to not be on national tv.
That way the casual college basketball fan can wonder why we have such bad record but they will never see how really bad we are.

[tower912]

Marquette basketball has become unwatchable even to their loyal fan base so we are probably lucky to not be on national tv.
That way the casual college basketball fan can wonder why we have such bad record but they will never see how really bad we are.

I have had casual fans ask why MU is so bad.   I told them that Shaka skipped the portal and bet on young guys to fill the spots of those who left and it didn't work out.  They usually say 'Oh', accept it and then start talking about how much they dislike the portal and NIL.

[illiniwarriors]

Iam sure if you took a poll a the vast majority of college basketball coaches would tell you they hate the portal and yearly free agency that goes along with it.
That said the next question would be do you use the portal and and every coach but Shaka would say yes,because you have to to be competitive.

[Pakuni]

Now you're shifting the goal posts.

I wrote:

The 2025 Christmas Day game (Lions vs. Vikings) set a new record as the most-streamed NFL game in history with 27.5 million viewers, effectively matching the numbers of a top-tier broadcast window.

I said streaming matched a broadcast game two weeks ago. They showed they can draw as big an audience as they just did.

Which streaming only game has matched a similarly slotted national broadcast/cable game this year?

[MU82]

From a recent report
(Also, keep in mind Disney's stock is unchanged over the last 10 years, while the S&P 500 is up over 300%.)
---
ESPN is currently navigating a "perfect storm" of structural shifts in the media landscape. After decades of being the "infinite money glitch" for Disney, the network is now facing a difficult transition from the highly profitable cable bundle to a more fragmented and expensive streaming world.

As of early 2026, here are the primary business struggles facing ESPN:

1. The "Cable Trap" & Shrinking Reach
For decades, ESPN received a "carriage fee" (roughly $9+ per month) from every cable subscriber, whether they watched sports or not.

Subscriber Loss: Since 2013, ESPN has lost approximately 40 million cable households. This "cord-cutting" removes the guaranteed revenue that allowed them to outbid everyone for sports rights.

Cannibalization Risk: Launching their full direct-to-consumer (DTC) service, ESPN Unlimited (at $29.99/mo), risk accelerating the death of the cable bundle, as fans no longer need a cable subscription to see the "Big 4" sports.

2. The Sports Rights "Arms Race"
The cost of keeping premium sports is skyrocketing just as ESPN's primary revenue source (cable fees) is shrinking.

The $76 Billion NBA Deal: In late 2025, a massive 11-year NBA deal kicked in. While ESPN retained rights, the price tag was astronomical, and they now have to share the "spoils" with deep-pocketed tech giants like Amazon and NBC/Peacock.

Tech Disruption: Apple and Amazon do not need their sports divisions to be profitable—they use sports to sell iPhones and Prime memberships. ESPN, however, must be profitable, making it harder to compete in bidding wars.

3. The "ESPN Bet" Stagnation
To find new revenue, ESPN partnered with Penn Entertainment to launch ESPN Bet. However, the venture has struggled to gain traction:

Market Share: As of late 2025, ESPN Bet held only about 3.2% to 3.9% of the U.S. market, far behind leaders like FanDuel (35%) and DraftKings (37%).

Termination Clause: Disney has a clause allowing them to exit the partnership after year three (late 2026) if performance targets aren't met. Investors are increasingly skeptical that the brand name alone can overcome the "first-mover advantage" of its rivals.

4. Technical and Brand Confusion
The transition to streaming has created "identity" issues for the consumer:

ESPN+ vs. ESPN Unlimited: For years, consumers were frustrated that ESPN+ didn't include the main Monday Night Football or NBA games. The new ESPN Unlimited (DTC) aims to fix this, but at $30/month, it is one of the most expensive streaming services on the market.

Venu Sports Collapse: The failure of the "Venu Sports" joint venture (which would have bundled ESPN, Fox, and Warner Bros content) in early 2025 left ESPN to go it alone, placing even more pressure on their solo flagship app to succeed.

From a recent report
(Also, keep in mind Disney's stock is unchanged over the last 10 years, while the S&P 500 is up over 300%.)
---
ESPN is currently navigating a "perfect storm" of structural shifts in the media landscape. After decades of being the "infinite money glitch" for Disney, the network is now facing a difficult transition from the highly profitable cable bundle to a more fragmented and expensive streaming world.

As of early 2026, here are the primary business struggles facing ESPN:

1. The "Cable Trap" & Shrinking Reach
For decades, ESPN received a "carriage fee" (roughly $9+ per month) from every cable subscriber, whether they watched sports or not.

Subscriber Loss: Since 2013, ESPN has lost approximately 40 million cable households. This "cord-cutting" removes the guaranteed revenue that allowed them to outbid everyone for sports rights.

Cannibalization Risk: Launching their full direct-to-consumer (DTC) service, ESPN Unlimited (at $29.99/mo), risk accelerating the death of the cable bundle, as fans no longer need a cable subscription to see the "Big 4" sports.

2. The Sports Rights "Arms Race"
The cost of keeping premium sports is skyrocketing just as ESPN's primary revenue source (cable fees) is shrinking.

The $76 Billion NBA Deal: In late 2025, a massive 11-year NBA deal kicked in. While ESPN retained rights, the price tag was astronomical, and they now have to share the "spoils" with deep-pocketed tech giants like Amazon and NBC/Peacock.

Tech Disruption: Apple and Amazon do not need their sports divisions to be profitable—they use sports to sell iPhones and Prime memberships. ESPN, however, must be profitable, making it harder to compete in bidding wars.

3. The "ESPN Bet" Stagnation
To find new revenue, ESPN partnered with Penn Entertainment to launch ESPN Bet. However, the venture has struggled to gain traction:

Market Share: As of late 2025, ESPN Bet held only about 3.2% to 3.9% of the U.S. market, far behind leaders like FanDuel (35%) and DraftKings (37%).

Termination Clause: Disney has a clause allowing them to exit the partnership after year three (late 2026) if performance targets aren't met. Investors are increasingly skeptical that the brand name alone can overcome the "first-mover advantage" of its rivals.

4. Technical and Brand Confusion
The transition to streaming has created "identity" issues for the consumer:

ESPN+ vs. ESPN Unlimited: For years, consumers were frustrated that ESPN+ didn't include the main Monday Night Football or NBA games. The new ESPN Unlimited (DTC) aims to fix this, but at $30/month, it is one of the most expensive streaming services on the market.

Venu Sports Collapse: The failure of the "Venu Sports" joint venture (which would have bundled ESPN, Fox, and Warner Bros content) in early 2025 left ESPN to go it alone, placing even more pressure on their solo flagship app to succeed.

So ... not "dying" at all. Thanks!