Hawkfan posted a link in the are OU and Tex taking KU'S spot thread that talked about how ESPN is cutting payroll. 100 mill in 2016 and 250 mill in 2017. The other side is that they are doing this because they have lost 3.2 million customers in the last year. At $6.61 per month per customer, that's 21.15 mill a month and 253.8 mill a year.
I think this is a huge development for the future of college football. As TaTown has stated repeatedly, the current system and driving force for realignment is total number of TV sets reached. Obviously the more people that cut the cord, the less likely the projected windfalls will be reached. The younger generation just doesn't watch entire games. Attendance numbers are down and they are much more likely to cut the cord than previous generations. They are more than happy to follow the game on social media or at the bar with many games on. The trend of cutting the cord is going to reverse anytime soon.
It would be interesting if ESPN would start looking into the viability to selling an online package for $30 a month, as some analyst think they would. A La Carte viewing may be closer than we think. Obviously, this would be big for future TV contracts as it would shift it from TVS in a state to actual fans in a state that watch.
I think this is a huge development for the future of college football. As TaTown has stated repeatedly, the current system and driving force for realignment is total number of TV sets reached. Obviously the more people that cut the cord, the less likely the projected windfalls will be reached. The younger generation just doesn't watch entire games. Attendance numbers are down and they are much more likely to cut the cord than previous generations. They are more than happy to follow the game on social media or at the bar with many games on. The trend of cutting the cord is going to reverse anytime soon.
It would be interesting if ESPN would start looking into the viability to selling an online package for $30 a month, as some analyst think they would. A La Carte viewing may be closer than we think. Obviously, this would be big for future TV contracts as it would shift it from TVS in a state to actual fans in a state that watch.
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