ESPN, Disney’s all sports network that made billions off the backs of bundled cable subscribers is reportedly losing millions now that the cord cutting revolution has arrived.

The channel invested billions in league sport contracts with the assumption that millions of cable subscribers would be forced to pay for their channel whether they wanted to watch it or not. That sure bet was nullified when cord cutting came along.

People become cord cutters for various reasons ranging from cost reductions, to content choices. People in general don’t want to pay for something they don’t want.

ESPN once a safe haven from politics has over the last several years has become admittedly left leaning politically. While this has been fine with some left leaning viewers. This has also aggravated some left leaning viewers who want to escape politics, and especially aggravated moderate and right leaning viewers, who especially would like to escape 24 hour politicization of everything. To many sports are supposed to be entertaining escapism, and if it’s not they want to turn the channel.

You would think the idea of paying for what you use, and not wanting to pay for something you don’t use would be universally acceptable. It is to most, but not to ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt. Pelt recently took those who dropped ESPN because of it’s politics to task in an interview with Sports Illustrated saying, “If you truly want to boycott the NFL and you want to boycott ESPN, the notion that some guy sitting out there, or gal, and they decide, ‘You know what, I’m going to cut my entire cable package because ESPN gave an award on a made-up show in July because there’s no sports, to a woman who used to be a man, so I’m now not going to have any cable TV at all, and I’m going to sit around at night and read books by candlelight like olden times because of that,’ that’s not happening. And if you did that, then you’re so dumb that I can’t even pray for you because you’re beyond hope.”

While I wouldn’t call him dumb, Pelt obviously is obviously ignorant of cord cutting options. There are tons of cord cutting entertainment options without ESPN that don’t involve reading by candle light. Live streaming sports options like Sling TV Blue and fuboTV. Paid onn demand streaming from Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon. Free streaming options from Crackle, Tubi TV and more.

ESPN is losing tons of subscribers for many reasons beyond politics, and if one of their most visible talents thinks that people have no other option but candles, it tells me it may be too late for them to save their network by reacting to their customers in terms of price and content.

The days of entertainment companies telling us that this is what we are giving you and you will pay for it or have nothing is over. Pelt obviously didn’t get the memo.

Like this: Like Loading...

Related

Follow us: