Posted on 08/10/2017 11:16:31 AM PDT by Enlightened1
The Walt Disney Co. has finally given in to the streaming shift that has completely altered the media landscape in the last few years and battered the company’s world-wide leader in sports programming, ESPN.
Disney DIS, -1.20% on Tuesday, laid out plans to launch a much awaited direct-to-consumer streaming service for ESPN to combat the damage the company has suffered from cord-cutting.
The company also said it plans to nix its licensing deal with Netflix Inc. NFLX, -3.27% and pull its movies from the service and launch a Disney branded streaming service in 2019. Netflix shares fell on the news, but the response is most likely a knee-jerk reaction.
For Disney, however, it could be too little, too late, according to BTIG analyst Richard Greenfield. In a blog post following Disney’s announcement, Greenfield lambasted the strategic steps the company and its Chief Executive Robert Iger have taken.
Greenfield is expecting Disney to lose up to $2 billion a year as it foregoes third-party revenue and invests heavily to build up content and start a streaming service from scratch.
“Disney’s announcement was light on details and did not sound terribly well hashed out. The announcement appeared designed to distract investors from Disney’s weak earnings and disappointing forward guidance,” Greenfield wrote. “Disney simply waited too long to make this critical decision.”
Fears of cord-cutting really took hold of the industry back in 2015, when a number of media companies and networks—Disney and ESPN included—reported a mass subscriber exodus.
(Excerpt) Read more at marketwatch.com ...
Cord-cutting isn’t the main reason they’re losing viewers.
Ask Curt Shilling and Britt McHenry.
Oh yeah Disney politicized ESPN where people go to escape politics.
MY plan for ESPN isn’t shrouded in mystery: Don’t watch it!....................
Politics. Liberal politics is the reason for the coming demise of ESPN.
Sports fans don’t tune in for politics. They watch to get away from it.
Walt would turn over in his grave.
Anthem kneelers, coke addicts, women beaters and generally arrogant Prim a-donnas affected most!
Kill it!
Ha. Although the liberal ESPN supports the Anti-American,
they would NEVER hire him.
It would be the final death blow for ESPN.
And they know it.
That is why we don’t hear ESPN offering
him a job, even though all their commentators
are so concerned about his unemployment status.
They know what NFL owners know.
The Kap is poison.
Simple solution. ESPN should hire Bob Costas and have him start spewing more leftist pablum, you know, how gun control and confiscation should start in America for the good of the children.
What an utter mess they made of ESPN. It wasn’t too many years ago that people sought out cable or expand cable just to get ESPN. Now people are running and screaming away from ESPN. Wow, that’s some kind of talent.
That, and its quota of inarticulate Affirmative Action Jacksons
Ebonics
Sports
Political
Network
more racial politics
more gay stuff
more women's sports
more women commentators, officials and coaches
More Bruce Kaitlin Jenner stories
The only thing ESPN has done wrong is not doing enough of this type of stuff. MORE. MORE. MORE. Come on ESPN. You can do it.
espn would recover real fast if they had a no politics rule.. the mixing of political commentary with sports analysis of games is what sabotaged the channel.
Simply stick to sports not PC and you’ll do just fine
Amazing isn’t it? You are exactly right - 10 years ago, it was not uncommon to hear people say their only reason for keeping cable/satellite was ESPN. Now it is used as one of the primary reasons to finally discontinue service. Only management idiots brought up in today’s academic environment could have been stupid enough to squander that much goodwill.
In 5 years there will be no born females in sports. In fact, most will have johnsons like brucie genderbender.
Males are already dominating in HS track and field and weight sports. The IOC has declared it will not check sex starting next olympics.
The irony that liberals killed womyn's sports should not be lost on anyone. Title 9 now becomes a fun spectator sport.
“Disney DIS, -1.20% on Tuesday, laid out plans to launch a much awaited direct-to-consumer streaming service for ESPN to combat the damage the company has suffered from cord-cutting.”
If they think for a second that charging directly the consumer a hefty sum for the despicable ESPN is going to work, they’re delusional. Currently they’re getting a ton of free money from people like me who hate them but havent cut the cord yet.
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