ESPN Loses 621,000 Subscribers; Worst Month in Company History

Re:ESPN Loses 621,000 Subscribers; Worst Month in Company Hi... by nitsujio on Saturday October 29, 2016 @11:58AM (#12824510)

Anecdotal sure but I'm a millennial who knows a grand total of zero Millennials who even know esports are a thing. Think it's a stretch to say they're displacing traditional sports given that many of my friends are fanatical about football and I myself am a huge NBA fan. I'm not convinced esports are more than a niche thing. Personally I'd be more interested in watching paint dry.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:ESPN Loses 621,000 Subscribers; Worst Month in Company Hi... by yardie on Saturday October 29, 2016 @12:27PM (#12824686)

I think it's the $100+/month cable bills that are displacing millenials. When the alternatives are so much cheaper ($10 Netflix, $13 HULU, etc) paying $130/mo for cable just seems insulting.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:ESPN Loses 621,000 Subscribers; Worst Month in Company Hi... by Matachines on Saturday October 29, 2016 @01:43PM (#12825193)

esports are only popular on the internet and your colleges' video game club. While they're no doubt getting bigger, they're a tiny niche and most regular people still think they're weird. Also they seem more popular in Europe and Asia.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:ESPN Loses 621,000 Subscribers; Worst Month in Company Hi... by gozur88 on Saturday October 29, 2016 @06:30PM (#12826823)

While it's true video game streaming is still a tiny niche, what probably is affecting ESPN's bottom line is the number of people who would have watched sports in years past but are now eschewing any sort of passive entertainment in favor of video games.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:ESPN Loses 621,000 Subscribers; Worst Month in Company Hi... by adamnemecek on Saturday October 29, 2016 @01:45PM (#12825210)

Sure. But one is growing, one is shrinking.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:ESPN Loses 621,000 Subscribers; Worst Month in Company Hi... by bdcravens on Saturday October 29, 2016 @02:04PM (#12825344)

The number of people who use only cash is shrinking, and the number of people who use only Bitcoin is rising, therefore ...

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:ESPN Loses 621,000 Subscribers; Worst Month in Company Hi... by adamnemecek on Saturday October 29, 2016 @02:06PM (#12825358)

How many "cash startups" are there? How many bitcoin startups?

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:ESPN Loses 621,000 Subscribers; Worst Month in Company Hi... by bdcravens on Saturday October 29, 2016 @02:36PM (#12825556)

I thought we were talking about trends among users. (to draw an analogy between niches) Sounds to me like you're moving the goalposts to win an Internet argument.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:ESPN Loses 621,000 Subscribers; Worst Month in Company Hi... by Zelphyr on Saturday October 29, 2016 @11:56AM (#12824498)

I've read that this is also true in the sense that many young players are opting out of physical sports. Coaches are complaining that the kids don't want to play a game they can't reset when it's not going well for them. The coaches, of course, see this as a bad thing but I don't think it's necessarily good or bad. It's just the reality that there are now more options for people.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:ESPN Loses 621,000 Subscribers; Worst Month in Company Hi... by tdkl on Sunday October 30, 2016 @02:09AM (#12828415)

Seems like a result of the babysitting in modern gaming. Also there's a lack of learning that loss and bad feelings aren't icky and there's nothing wrong with someone who feels that instead prescribing them medication.

The changes in schools and helicopter parenting are these causes.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:ESPN Loses 621,000 Subscribers; Worst Month in Company Hi... by Matachines on Saturday October 29, 2016 @01:44PM (#12825201)

> Coaches are complaining that the kids don't want to play a game they can't reset when it's not going well for them.

How is this not a bad thing? I certainly wouldn't want my son or daughter give up as soon as things don't work out. That kind of behavior spills into the rest of life, not just sports.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:ESPN Loses 621,000 Subscribers; Worst Month in Company Hi... by bdcravens on Saturday October 29, 2016 @02:03PM (#12825336)

Pretty sure the number of who are showing no interests in any sports (traditional or e-) is higher than displacing.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:ESPN Loses 621,000 Subscribers; Worst Month in Company Hi... by ZanyProgrammer on Saturday October 29, 2016 @12:23PM (#12824659)

What the hell is an esport? Sport themed video games? I'm 37 and have never heard of them.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:ESPN Loses 621,000 Subscribers; Worst Month in Company Hi... by dangrossman on Saturday October 29, 2016 @12:33PM (#12824723)

People competing in multiplayer video games. With professional commentators, multiple camera angles, replays, custom graphics, sponsors, players that earn a living playing on professional teams with coaches, and everything else you'd get on ESPN watching a football game. I don't think any sport-themed games are played professionally though.

https://www.twitch.tv/

At the time of my comment, Twitch is live broadcasting the Hearthstone World Championship, Duelyst Pro League, Vainglory Evil Eight, Starcraft II World Championship Series Global Finals, and SMITE Pro League.

eSports tournaments have paid out over $100 million in prizes. Some of these tournaments are being carried live on cable channels in other parts of the world where they're more popular.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:ESPN Loses 621,000 Subscribers; Worst Month in Company Hi... by xentronium on Saturday October 29, 2016 @09:01PM (#12827464)

> I don't think any sport-themed games are played professionally though.

FIFA is somewhat popular.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:ESPN Loses 621,000 Subscribers; Worst Month in Company Hi... by tmat on Saturday October 29, 2016 @01:09PM (#12824953)

esports always have and always will be a niche.. when I was a kid we competed in dingy hotel conference halls for hundreds of thousands TOPS... Good ol' CPL. probably only half a chance of getting paid too.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:ESPN Loses 621,000 Subscribers; Worst Month in Company Hi... by WalterSear on Saturday October 29, 2016 @12:51PM (#12824823)

Don't worry, it's not really 'what the kids are into these days'.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:ESPN Loses 621,000 Subscribers; Worst Month in Company Hi... by adamnemecek on Saturday October 29, 2016 @12:26PM (#12824674)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ESports

League of Legends, Overwatch, Counter Strike etc etc.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:ESPN Loses 621,000 Subscribers; Worst Month in Company Hi... by ryuker16 on Saturday October 29, 2016 @06:12PM (#12826715)

Unless your South Korean, not really.

[ Parent | on HN ]