ESPN Is About To Fully Embrace Streaming, And It Could Be The Nail In The Coffin For Cable TV
ESPN Is About To Fully Embrace Streaming, And It Could Be The Nail In The Coffin For Cable TV
The writing has been on the wall for some time: the future of media is going to be dominated by streaming. Period. That is why almost every major media company is going all-in on a big streaming service (or two, or three) in addition to keeping the theatrical movie business alive in the hope of carving out a future beyond cable. Now, Disney is looking to potentially put the biggest nail in the coffin for cable TV and satellite by launching ESPN as a standalone streaming service in the coming years. This isn't happening tomorrow — but rest assured, it is happening. When it does it would, in effect, help to truly kill old-school pay TV as we know it.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Disney and ESPN have begun laying the groundwork to begin selling the premium sports network as a standalone, direct-to-consumer option. Yes, Disney has ESPN+, which has amassed more than 25 million subscribers, but it does not broadcast a live feed of the main ESPN network, which remains one of the biggest draws for almost anyone that still subscribes to a cable TV package. The plan even has an internal codename of "Flagship," suggesting its importance to the future of the company.
ESPN would continue to offer its channel through cable providers, but they have been negotiating contacts with carriers to allow for the streaming spin-off. This could kneecap those companies in the process though, as many consumers – particularly younger ones – are tired of paying for TV bundles, getting channels they don't use. For people where sports is the main attraction? This would be game over, as the price of ESPN as a standalone service would surely be less than a cable bill. That's what Disney is counting on.
Source: /Film
