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A comment on How Watching 'Unbundled' ESPN and AMC Could Cost More Than Your Whole Cable Bill. Parent comment

Re:How Watching 'Unbundled' ESPN and AMC Could Cost More Tha... by vsprabhakara1 on Thursday July 18, 2013 @01:24PM (#6065071)
>And what happens when wider direct distribution means that the sports world no longer needs ESPN's cable reach to get to viewers?

Its not the viewers the sports leagues value ESPN for. Its the money ESPN pays them for the right to broadcast to their viewers. That's why the NFL Network is a step-child network that can't maximize its value as the NFL can't make more from it that they can selling to ESPN, Fox, CBS and NBC

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Re:How Watching 'Unbundled' ESPN and AMC Could Cost More Tha... by rhizome on Thursday July 18, 2013 @02:44PM (#6065599)
Its the money ESPN pays them for the right to broadcast to their viewers

What? No. The cable companies pay ESPN for the privilege of carrying them. It's a revenue share, that's why ESPN is a part of basic packages: cable companies using their billing base to increase the cable company's profit margin on the extortionate amounts they kickback to the network. You think ESPN doesn't use sports agent techniques in their business development department?

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