The Top 5 Reasons ESPN's Ratings Are in Freefall

[240B]

The Top 5 Reasons ESPN's Ratings Are in Freefall
BY JEFF REYNOLDS MARCH 21, 2017

https://pjmedia.com/lifestyle/2017/03/21/the-top-5-reasons-espns-ratings-are-in-freefall/

Really good article. I enjoyed it.

[Night Hides Not]

Thanks for posting, 240, good article. For me, it's #3, their liberal agenda programming.

I watch ESPN for its college basketball, but the East Coast bias is maddening for fans of schools like Gonzaga. The Zags, through no fault of their own, have become a villain over the past few years. I don't think the characterizations will cease even if we make it to our first Final Four, though I'm not looking past tonight's game with West Virginia.

No matter. IMO, the best days are ahead for Zag fans. A 55,000 SF practice facility is under construction, and we are loaded for the next 2-3 years. While we once were known as "Guard U", we've become a landing spot for transfers and international players. BTW, our All American guard, Nigel Williams-Goss, also made the Academic AA team, with a 3.8+ GPA in psychology.

[jmyrlefuller]

He touches on some issues that could use a little more elaborating.

It's not just investments in rights fees, but WHERE it's investing. With the rise of NBC and Fox's sports networks, ESPN has spent just to keep them out of competition. No one's going to dispute they overpaid, by about double, for Monday Night Football—but in that case, we have a reference point in the other networks. NBC paid half of what ESPN's paying for Sunday nights; per-game, they and CBS paid about a third of that for Thursdays. Are MNF's ratings 2-3 times those of the other night-game packages? Not even close. It was a bad investment.

Then there's college sports. Admittedly, ESPN's bread-and-butter product has been college sports, football and basketball. But consider: there are hundreds of teams playing college football in the U.S. ESPN owns the rights to almost all of them, and all but a handful of the bowl games and championships. That costs more than they're paying for the NFL. College sports are also a little different in that the number of teams is much higher than the pro game. In what seems to me to be a huge strategic blunder, ESPN decided to buy a huge amount of college football rights it can never actually air, both at the high end and the low end. (Go on ESPN's streaming site WatchESPN on a typical fall Saturday. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of games being offered.) The only purpose it serves, really, is to prevent Fox, NBC, CBS or some upstart from turning it into a marketable product against them. The audiences are going to shrink anyway.

ESPN has made a huge gamble in assuming that its consumers will do anything for live sports. It's probably not going to work.

[geronl]

Someone left the TV on ESPN this morning and I heard them defending and praising Colin Kaperface for at least ten minutes.

[kevindavis007]

Someone left the TV on ESPN this morning and I heard them defending and praising Colin Kaperface for at least ten minutes.

ESPN tweeted on why Colin hasn't been signed to an NFL team.

[jmyrlefuller]

ESPN tweeted on why Colin hasn't been signed to an NFL team.

The same reason Michael Sam and Tim Tebow haven't. They all have a tendency to cause a media circus that overwhelms their middling talent.

[kevindavis007]

The same reason Michael Sam and Tim Tebow haven't. They all have a tendency to cause a media circus that overwhelms their middling talent.

Exactly..

[240B]

The same reason Michael Sam and Tim Tebow haven't. They all have a tendency to cause a media circus that overwhelms their middling talent.

Any time a single player makes himself or his 'causes' more important than the game, and the team, adjustments will have to be made.

[mountaineer]

That's a shame.

Ben Shapiro Retweeted
Richard Deitsch‏Verified account @richarddeitsch 2h2 hours ago

ESPN UPDATE: I have multiple sources at ESPN telling me they expect the number of layoffs to be closer to 100 people than 70. Awful news.

Maybe ESPN should stop cramming politics down the throats of viewers just looking for sports news.

[mountaineer]

A Running List Of ESPN Layoffs
Kevin Draper
24 minutes ago


With phone calls and meetings beginning informing some ESPN employees that they have been laid off, word will slowly trickle out all day long about who they are. There will be plenty of names you have heard of, as ESPN reorients their daily lineup of shows, and their online video and stories to match.  ...

As ESPNers announce their layoffs, or they are reported, we will keep a running list here.

NFL Reporter Ed Werder
Titans Reporter Paul Kuharsky
ESPN.com NHL Columnist Scott Burnside
Hockey Writer Joe McDonald
NHL Columnist Pierre LeBrun
College Basketball Reporter Dana O’Neil
ESPNU Anchor Brendan Fitzgerald
Soccer Writer Mike Goodman

Additionally, The Hollywood Reporter reports that Karl Ravech, Ryen Russillo, and Hannah Storm will see their roles at the network “significantly reduced.”

This story is updating ... Deadspin

[mountaineer]

Layoffs Hit ESPN On-Air Talent as 100 Staffers Lose Jobs
6:58 AM PDT 4/26/2017 by Marisa Guthrie

ESPN president John Skipper made the announcement on Wednesday (April 26), noting that “changes” in the talent lineup will be implemented this week.

ESPN will shed 100 staffers, most of them on-air talent, as the network works to retrench in the wake of falling subscription revenue, increased rights fees and a more concerted focus on digital content.

ESPN president John Skipper made the announcement on Wednesday (April 26), noting that “changes” in the talent lineup will be implemented this week.

“A necessary component of managing change involves constantly evaluating how we best utilize all of our resources, and that sometimes involves difficult decisions,” wrote Skipper in a note to employees posted on the network’s web site. “Dynamic change demands an increased focus on versatility and value, and as a result, we have been engaged in the challenging process of determining the talent—anchors, analysts, reporters, writers and those who handle play-by-play—necessary to meet those demands."

"These decisions impact talented people who have done great work for our company," Skipper continued. "I would like to thank all of them for their efforts and their many contributions to ESPN."

Skipper did not specifically identify staffers or the number of employees that will be let go. But longtime ESPN NFL reporter Ed Werder tweeted this monring that he has been layed off.

"After 17 years reporting on #NFL, I've been informed that I'm being laid off by ESPN effective immediately," Werder Tweeted. "I have no plans to retire."

Other ESPN personalities are seeing their roles "significantly reduced," a person with knowledge of the situation told The Hollywood Reporter. They include Baseball Tonight's Karl Ravitch, ESPN Radio's Ryen Russillo and Hannah Storm, who has been a mainstay at ESPN for a decade and hosted various iterations of flagship SportsCenter,

And some have already left: Kaylee Hartung, who covered college sports for the network for the past several years, will shift to CNN.

The last time ESPN undertook layoffs was in 2015 when big-ticket personalities Keith Olbermann and Bill Simmons were let go. That year, the Bristol, Connecticut-based network eliminated 300 jobs, which was close to 4 percent of its workforce. There were also layoffs in 2013. But this year's cuts are much more visible given that the vast majority of them will happen to on-air reporters, analysts and play-by-play announcers.

Hollywood Reporter

[240B]

That's a shame.Maybe ESPN should stop cramming politics down the throats of viewers just looking for sports news.

Yep. Their obvious support for Obama/Hillary/BLM and other Leftwing causes, was over the top. And, it was antithetical to their viewers. Pajama boy is not watching sports.


Once they tried to make sports a political issue, they dug their own grave.

[IsailedawayfromFR]

I'll throw in one item left out.

Collegiate sports, almost entirely basketball and football, has been the bread and butter of ESPN.

Fans used to be able to identify with the players and games attracted interest.

It seems in recent years, the lack of diversity in players has seen fan interest waning.

[driftdiver]

Yep. Their obvious support for Obama/Hillary/BLM and other Leftwing causes, was over the top. And, it was antithetical to their viewers. Pajama boy is not watching sports.


Once they tried to make sports a political issue, they dug their own grave.

I stopped watching them because they are so incredibly biased for the big market teams.  When Tampa beats the Yankees the story is about how the Yankees almost won.   If you aren't in a major market they ignore your teams.

[mountaineer]

Tony Kornheiser played golf with Obama innumerable times during the Hacker-in-Chief's presidency, and he actually said this. He still works at ESPN. Schilling does not.:

ESPN’s Tony Kornheiser links tea party to Islamic State: Are they ‘trying to establish a caliphate?’
By Jessica Chasmar - The Washington Times - Wednesday, October 28, 2015


ESPN Radio host Tony Kornheiser recently compared the tea party to the Islamic State terror group, suggesting ultra-conservatives are trying to build a “caliphate” in Congress.

Mr. Kornheiser invited political journalist and Huffington Post editor Howard Fineman on his ESPN 980 radio show to talk about Paul Ryan and the Tea Party on Friday, Newsbusters reported.

Mr. Fineman argued that Mr. Ryan, if elected as House Speaker, would have to spend most of his time trying to deal with “these tea party people.”

“What he’s probably going to have to do, if in fact he gets in, is stage some kind of fight with them and defeat them, or take away their power, or go after them. I don’t know if he’s got the guts to do that. I don’t know if he knows he’s got the numbers to do it,” Mr. Fineman posited.

“Are they like ISIS trying to establish a Caliphate here?” Mr. Kornheiser asked, referring to the Islamic State.

Mr. Fineman gushed over the comparison. “Yes! Yes! That’s a very good analogy!” he replied. “Without the violence obviously, but yes, they are a rejectionist front. They don’t want to legislate. They think legislation is capitulation. And they want to shut the government down.”

In August, ESPN suspended baseball analyst Curt Schilling after he retweeted a photo that compared radical Muslims to Nazis. Many conservatives on Twitter expressed doubt on whether ESPN would give Mr. Kornheiser the same treatment.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/oct/28/tony-kornheiser-compares-tea-party-to-islamic-stat/

[240B]

"they are a rejectionist front. They don’t want to legislate. They think legislation is capitulation. And they want to shut the government down.”

That's a perfect description of Democrats today. Except Liberals embrace violence in everything they do. Liberals/Leftists are the Brownshirts of the Democrat Party. That could not be any more clear.

[geronl]

I'd rather they kept Trent Dilfer than Tony Cornweiser

[goatprairie]

I guess the fact that ESPN is keeping two black racial agitators (Michael Smith, Jemele Hill) over one hundred other people has many Twitter users upset. Many people on Twitter are calling for the network to fire both of them. Both have been known for making racial statements that would have gotten white commentators fired for the same type of comments.

[mountaineer]

I guess the fact that ESPN is keeping two black racial agitators (Michael Smith, Jemele Hill) over one hundred other people has many Twitter users upset. Many people on Twitter are calling for the network to fire both of them. Both have been known for making racial statements that would have gotten white commentators fired for the same type of comments.

The promos for their show are enough to drive me nuts. Has ESPN completely written off white and/or conservative viewers?

[240B]

The promos for their show are enough to drive me nuts. Has ESPN completely written off white and/or conservative viewers?

Seems like it. The people they are keeping are the worst offenders of what is causing them to go down the drain. But, that is how Leftists do things. Look at CNN and MSNBC for example. Their incessant cheerleading for every far-Left cause under the sun lost them almost all of their former market share. And it didn't bother them a bit. In fact, they went double-down on it. ESPN is doing the same thing.

[Wingnut]

Seems like it. The people they are keeping are the worst offenders of what is causing them to go down the drain. But, that is how Leftists do things. Look at CNN and MSNBC for example. Their incessant cheerleading for every far-Left cause under the sun lost them almost all of their former market share. And it didn't bother them a bit. In fact, they went double-down on it. ESPN is doing the same thing.

Yep driven by their leftist agenda ...Several obvious reasons ESPN sucks:

WTF?   Courage for ‘Caitlyn’ –The Arthur Ashe Courage Award is going to ‘Caitlyn’ Jenner, beating out a double amputee Iraq vet who competes in Crossfit races and Dancing with the Stars.

Gag Me with a spoon: Sam the Sham – Gay football player Michael Sam’s NFL career went as far as his on-field talent could take him, but it wasn’t for a lack of cheerleading and highchair pounding from ESPN, which elaborately planned its broadcast of Sam kissing his partner.

The looney Lefty Bullpen at ESPN – People are policy, and ESPN’ boasts toxic liberal blowhard Keith Olbermann, while ombudsman Robert Lipsyte hails from The New York Times and Mother Jones. 

[Maj. Bill Martin]

I heard Jamele Hill one to0 many times, and that swore me off that network entirely.  I watched the NFL draft on the apolitical NFL Network, who had better coverage anyway.  And despite how the "alleged" left-wing bias is often dismissed as a cause of ESPN's decline, I am constantly surprised as to how many sports fans on sports websites, not political websites like TBR, have cited politics as the reason they no longer watch ESPN.

The boycott used to be a weapon exclusive to the left.  That is no longer the case.

[goatprairie]

I was reading a column yesterday by some leftist scribbler about why it was necessary to constantly interject (leftist) politics into sports programming.  One program cited by the scribbler er writer was Dan Lebetard's show on ESPN that every now and then discusses sports when he's not talking about a host of non-sports related topics.  It didn't make a lot of sense, but then liberal logic never does.
His argument was along the lines that since everything today (including sports) is political, they're perfectly alright to squawk about politics during their programs.
So if you go to some music concert and the musicians start yammering about politics, that' s just great. I guarantee you these same people would get awfully upset if it were conservative athletes/ musicians doing the yammering.
They just can't get it across their tiny minds that people tune in to sports to get away from politics and other non-sports things.

P.S. While Lebetard is a typical  SJW, he got into a hornet's nest recently when he said Magic Johnson was totally unqualified to run the Lakers organization. Naturally, he was called a racist by a slew of black athletes and media personalities for whom no criticism of black sports heroes is allowed. It's comical because Lebetard is usually one of the people screaming the loudest about racism in sports and the necessity for athletes to become SJWs.