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ESPN Lost Two Million Subscribers in Fiscal 2016

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http://www.wsj.com/articles/espn-lost-two-million-subscribers-in-fiscal-2016-1479951093?mod=e2tw

ESPN lost about two million subscribers last year, marking the lowest number of subscribers for the sports powerhouse since 2005, according to a Walt Disney Co. filing issued Wednesday.

ESPN had 90 million subscribers at the end of the 2016 fiscal year ended Oct. 1, according to Disney’s annual report. It was another year of gradual decline for the network, which had about 100 million subscribers in 2010.

The subscriber figures, which are estimated by the Nielsen ratings company, don’t take into account ESPN distribution deals with services that provide its programming over the internet. ESPN has struck several deals with such services, including Hulu and DirecTV Now.

Investor concerns about customers “cord-cutting” their cable-television subscriptions and leading to a fall in ESPN sign-ups has weighed on quarterly earnings at the world’s largest media company since August 2015, when Disney Chief Executive Robert Iger said “some subscriber losses” were hitting the network.

The declines have been especially pronounced in the last three years. In 2013, ESPN had 99 million subscribers. It lost four million in the year after that, and was down to 92 million in 2015.

Earlier this month, declining income at ESPN weighed on Disney’s fourth-quarter results. Operating income for Disney’s cable networks segment, which includes ESPN, fell 13% to $1.45 billion. A 13% fall in ESPN ad revenue contributed to the slump.

Declining subscriber numbers have overshadowed other company landmarks in the past year, such as the successful launch of new “Star Wars” films and the opening of Shanghai Disney Resort.

Since then, Disney made a $1 billion deal to acquire a 33% stake in BAMTech, a streaming-video unit created by Major League Baseball. Disney plans to use BAMTech to help launch a digital-sports service that would operate separate from traditional cable bundles and offer more direct-to-consumer offerings.

Who's Disney gonna blame?
 
HE2EmvNo.jpg
 

led4lyfe

Member
One of my biggest pet peeves of espn is how they abuse "stats". I really don't think anyone gives a shit that Drew Brees is the last qb born after 1975 to throw 330 yards on the Monday following his first colonoscopy, but these are the sort of stat headlines ESPN pushes down our throats.
 
They're trash. Even watching MNF I need to turn off that stupid debate segment they have with the two guys yelling at each other. Skip Bayless is making millions by basically just shouting about conflicting opinions. ESPN made that guy rich.

Fuck em.
 

Busty

Banned
Despite the incredible success of Disney's studio divisions it means almost nothing in the larger scale of things when 30% of the revenue comes from ESPN.
 

entremet

Member
It has nothing to do with the taking heads.

People are cutting cable and ESPN is usually added to basic packages.
 

Zackat

Member
I used to have ESPN running in the background all day. It was just sports news and it was great. Now it is just bloviating talking heads. I don't watch ESPN hardly at all anymore, and will probably cancel. Only reason I keep it is for CFB, CBB, and NBA games. I could live without those for how expensive it is.
 

Dishwalla

Banned
They need to come out with a stand alone streaming service. If ESPN and NFL had streaming services it would be so much easier to drop cable altogether.
 

Vanillalite

Ask me about the GAF Notebook
I want to know how many people are actually watching vs bullshit half baked Neilson #s.

Continue on with the ESPN bashing though.
 
It has nothing to do with the taking heads.

People are cutting cable and ESPN is usually added to basic packages.

I am getting tired of these threads. Are people actually calling their cable companies and saying "You know what? I love your service, I would just prefer not to have ESPN," or is it people just cutting premium TV altogether, which should be bigger news.

However, it seems like it's a cheap ploy to say "ESPN is losing subscribers." I mean, is Food TV also losing subscribers? How about CNN?
 

Vanillalite

Ask me about the GAF Notebook
I am getting tired of these threads. Are people actually calling their cable companies and saying "You know what? I love your service, I would just prefer not to have ESPN," or is it people just cutting premium TV altogether, which should be bigger news.

However, it seems like it's a cheap ploy to say "ESPN is losing subscribers." I mean, is Food TV also losing subscribers? How about CNN?

It's not just that.

They specifically say similar to NPD threads of yore that internet doesn't count. So PS Vue and Sling TV subs need not apply. Not to say that makes up for the drop, but the numbers do matter.

It also doesn't dissect the massive loophole people use called WatchESPN. Everyone and their brother shares logins so it totally fucks with the actual #s.

Edit: Gonna get even worse when Direct TV/ATT stream service is up and doesn't count towards the old ass Neilson #s.
 

Zetta

Member
Things ESPN does right.

Actual sports
Bomani Jones


Things ESPN does wrong.

Everything else

I agree with this and would add Highly Questionable with Batard and Papi. Actually the only time slots I even watch are from 4:30pm to 6pm est for my dose of Highly Questionable, Around The Horn and Pardon The Interruption.
 

BobLoblaw

Banned
ESPN needs more live programming, but that has gotten much more expensive.



No love for Le Batard or Izzy?
Well, I usually only listen to Bomani's podcast (by far, the best ESPN has to offer), but Lebatard and Izzy don't make me hate myself, so you can add them to the list.
 
They need to come out with a stand alone streaming service. If ESPN and NFL had streaming services it would be so much easier to drop cable altogether.


The NFL has a streaming service. Sunday Ticket, which you can get for about a hundred bucks if you're a college student. Its not the best solution but it is a solution.
 
Network let some of their personalities leave now they fighting for ratings..

First Take losing viewers they moving from ESPN2 to ESPN stating next year, Skip Bayless new show on Fox is winning the rating wars in that time slot every day..
 
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