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A comment on ESPN Loses 621,000 Subscribers; Worst Month in Company History. Parent comment

Re:ESPN Loses 621,000 Subscribers; Worst Month in Company Hi... by Analemma_ on Saturday October 29, 2016 @12:46PM (#12824790)
It's probably good news in the long run, but there might be some severe pain in the short- and medium-terms if you believe Ben Thompson's argument that "sports is the linchpin holding the entire post-WWII American economy together". You can read his reasoning at https://stratechery.com/2016/the-sports-linchpin/ and https://stratechery.com/2016/tv-advertisings-surprising-stre..., but it basically goes like this: (statements in parentheses are the companies that are going to be hurting bad if sports takes a dive)

- Sports are the only reason left to tune in to live TV

- Live TV is the only reason to have cable (telcos, cable networks)

- Live TV is the only reason to buy TV ads on broadcast networks (broadcast networks)

- TV ads are the thing propping up a lot of "old-guard" companies (retailers, CPG companies, car companies)

Essentially the old order is a mutually self-supporting structure propping itself up (Retailers and CPG companies need TV to reach a mass audience, TV needs these companies to buy ads), and sports is the thing holding it together.

Again, if this falls apart it might be for the best in the end, but it's going to be a bumpy time if telcos, retailers, large consumer goods companies, and broadcast networks all get hammered at the same time. Collectively they account for quite a bit of employment and GDP.

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Re:ESPN Loses 621,000 Subscribers; Worst Month in Company Hi... by JBlue42 on Saturday October 29, 2016 @02:38PM (#12825570)
Definitely painful but the contents of how we measure our economy might need to undergo that anyway. There's always a talk about consumption but maybe we're at a point when we really do have enough and there's only marginal innovation left for some of the basic consumer goods - like the introduction of those curved tvs. Especially with a lot of us younger folks already living in a world of debt, stagnant wages, and unaffordable housing in the major metro areas.

Looking forward to reading those links. Thanks for sharing.

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Re:ESPN Loses 621,000 Subscribers; Worst Month in Company Hi... by gozur88 on Saturday October 29, 2016 @06:20PM (#12826758)
It's not at all clear to me advertisers need television as much as television needs advertisers. There are all sorts of ways to get your message out to consumers.
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Re:ESPN Loses 621,000 Subscribers; Worst Month in Company Hi... by lordnacho on Saturday October 29, 2016 @03:03PM (#12825694)
What about those talent shows and celebrity dancing shows? Are they not live events?

I don't watch them, but it seems a lot of people do, and not as highlights.

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Re:ESPN Loses 621,000 Subscribers; Worst Month in Company Hi... by howeyc on Saturday October 29, 2016 @12:58PM (#12824877)
I'm not sure I agree with point 4. Does the articles you link go into how that connection is made?

Why are internet (such as youtube) ads not enough?

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Re:ESPN Loses 621,000 Subscribers; Worst Month in Company Hi... by Analemma_ on Saturday October 29, 2016 @01:09PM (#12824949)
The second link explains it pretty well.
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