Espn. What happened?

[Husky25]

Politics in Sports?

Thanks a lot, Miracle on Ice.

 

[HuskyHawk]

It's exactly like MTV in that when you have access to the internet to watch your music video or your sports highlights you don't have to wait through all the content you don't care about. The internet killed ESPN and MTV both.

MTV killed MTV. ESPN killed ESPN. Both suffered from some of the same problems, and alienated the core fans they had in reaching out to new ones.

 

[storrsroars]

Things I love about ESPN:

1. ESPY’s
2. X-Games
3. LeBron James breaking news.

Things I hate about ESPN:

1. Sports - Boring!

I'm giving you a like for the sheer audacity of not using a sarcasm font or emoticon to denote such.

 

[Rocktheworld]

I think I’ve only seen this mentioned once, and it’s insane that that’s the case.

ESPN over-payed for NBA and NFL contracts that didn’t pan out and they took huge losses. Thus, they couldn’t keep their talent around who was the real reason anyone watched in the first place. It’s going to be a weird analogy, but when YouTube exploded in popularity in the late 00s, there were dozens and dozens of successful gaming channels. Nearing a decade later, there are very few. The ones who have sustained success, outlasting the presence of a massive pool of options, did so through their engaging personality. Any dope can upload a gaming video of them kicking ass at Call of Duty, but over time as the market was saturated, channels maintained their followings because of their personalities and charisma.

Anyone on tv or the internet can upload highlights and stats; but this saturation of the market wasn’t ESPN’s undoing. It was their inability to keep personalities and segments like Primetime around, which set them apart from other reporting services. There wasn’t anything particularly special about Primetime, to stick with that example. It was Berman, TJ, and their chemistry. Besides the entertainment factor, ESPN couldn’t even keep around their best analysts, another thing that set them apart. Now, it’s half highlights by some no-name, and/or drama reporting

 

[CL82]

ESPN has been deteriorating since the 90s.
Root cause -- the evil mouse.
Disney.

They deliberately gutted the best basketball conference of all time. So maybe Karma?

 

[JB75]

I find it hard to believe that there is not a market fir the older way espn used to do things. Maybe my friends are a bit older(early 30s -early 50s) but everyone I know: a) misses the highlights b) hates the way espn is now and c) doesn’t want to watch highlights on thier phone computer or tablet. We just want a basic sports highlight show where after a long day wherever - I can sit down at 11pm and watch Kenny mayn’t and Stu scott(rip) deliver the plays of the day. I don’t want to have to search for it or watch it on my I phone 6 +. Is that so hard for espn to fathom? My age range drives espn. They shud be catering to us because like I said before , anyone under 25 doesn’t cars about espn and anyone over 55 doesn’t care about it as much because they grew up with highlights about local teams coming from their local news. I get technology shifting things but don’t get this one.

 

[JB75]

You know one person right now young or old who loves the new ESPN in the direction it’s going? I work with kids all day and they don’t seem to care... again , ESPN use your brains and target your core (30-50) or you ll soon be as irrelevant as blockbuster, dvds or mtv

 

[Lefty2one]

ESPN died a dozen years ago. With the rise of the Internet, highlights became immediate and accessible; there was no need to watch SC anymore. ESPN had to turn somewhere to attract viewers so they went all-in on the TMZ/Hot Takes nonsense. I don't think it's entirely due to politics. Tim Tebow was one of the first really egregious cases. All Tebow, all the time. No matter the season or whatever other big event happened that night, you were going to get a healthy dose of Tebow talk on ESPN. Anecdotally it turned off a ton of viewers, the more hardcore sports fans.

Like many others around here, I grew up watching SportsCenter religiously in the 80s and 90s. It was a big part of my childhood. I don't think I've watched a full episode of it since 2004 or 2005.

 

[the Q]

ESPN died a dozen years ago. With the rise of the Internet, highlights became immediate and accessible; there was no need to watch SC anymore. ESPN had to turn somewhere to attract viewers so they went all-in on the TMZ/Hot Takes nonsense.

Like many others around here, I grew up watching SportsCenter religiously in the 80s and 90s. It was a big part of my childhood. I don't think I've watched a full episode of it since 2004 or 2005.

Yeah, that last bit is huge.

But I wish Baseball tonight was on more often. That was always the best show on ESPN.

 

[JB75]

Baseball tonight was great. Nfl prime time tho was the best. Remember “big Monday” on espn? They d have a great 7pm big east game, followed by a 9pm big 12(big 8) game then 11pm sportscenter followed by crazy late west coast game. Ahhhh the good ole days. Must suck to grow up nowadays. Lol.

 

[Kemba429]

I only watch HQ, PTI, and live games. SportsCenter is just like “a bunch of dads trying to be cool.” To me.

 

[JB75]

Yup

 

[whaler11]

I think I’ve only seen this mentioned once, and it’s insane that that’s the case.

ESPN over-payed for NBA and NFL contracts that didn’t pan out and they took huge losses. Thus, they couldn’t keep their talent around who was the real reason anyone watched in the first place. It’s going to be a weird analogy, but when YouTube exploded in popularity in the late 00s, there were dozens and dozens of successful gaming channels. Nearing a decade later, there are very few. The ones who have sustained success, outlasting the presence of a massive pool of options, did so through their engaging personality. Any dope can upload a gaming video of them kicking ass at Call of Duty, but over time as the market was saturated, channels maintained their followings because of their personalities and charisma.

Anyone on tv or the internet can upload highlights and stats; but this saturation of the market wasn’t ESPN’s undoing. It was their inability to keep personalities and segments like Primetime around, which set them apart from other reporting services. There wasn’t anything particularly special about Primetime, to stick with that example. It was Berman, TJ, and their chemistry. Besides the entertainment factor, ESPN couldn’t even keep around their best analysts, another thing that set them apart. Now, it’s half highlights by some no-name, and/or drama reporting

They lost Primetime because they lost the rights to the highlights in that window lol - the exact opposite of your premise.

They can afford whatever talent they want. They know it’s the opposite they are almost all completely fungible.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

Most of these posts are missing the point. The format of the old sportscenter is obsolete. Some of you may want to sit down and watch a full hour of every sports highlight from that day but with access to highlights instantly available on any cell phone, the market is not. The idea that their shift to opinion is causing this is backwards. The market shift is causing them to try to replace those highlight shows with something, which admittedly, I don't really find all that worthwhile to watch either.

 

[whaler11]

Most of these posts are missing the point. The format of the old sportscenter is obsolete. Some of you may want to sit down and watch a full hour of every sports highlight from that day but with access to highlights instantly available on any cell phone, the market is not. The idea that their shift to opinion is causing this is backwards. The market shift is causing them to try to replace those highlight shows with something, which admittedly, I don't really find all that worthwhile to watch either.

Weird that FS1 gave up and pretty much all the RSNs have given up on nightly highlight shows. That Canadian SC from TSN they moved to FS1 literally had no viewers.

ESPNNews and CNN/SI aren’t around (I know News still is a channel but it’s not 24 hours a day SC.

I guess only ESPN is stupid for not hitting the golden jackpot of nightly highlights for an hour narrated by irreverant hosts.

 

[Rocktheworld]

They lost Primetime because they lost the rights to the highlights in that window lol - the exact opposite of your premise.

They can afford whatever talent they want. They know it’s the opposite they are almost all completely fungible.

Yeah, NBC bought the time slot when they bought Sunday Night Football.

Why did the shift to Monday kill it off?

 

[Deepster]

A few people have said the way we consume information is different, following it up with how you can get highlights on your phone. I'd add to that the fact that we have moved away from sitting in front of a screen at a given time for "appointment TV".

I remember the finales of Seinfeld and Cheers and how you were just in front of your TV on those half hour time slots each week. Now, everything streams off YouTube and Netflix and people binge watch things. ESPN Sportscenter just isn't an appointment event like it used to be.

 

[JB75]

So espns two options are to stay with the current new format - which everyone hates or go back to the old ways of highlights which will please some people ? Hmmmm sounds simple to me. Some is better than none.

 

[whaler11]

Yeah, NBC bought the time slot when they bought Sunday Night Football.

Why did the shift to Monday kill it off?

Primetime? You want Primetime to air 16 hours after the games?

Primetime would have been killed by RedZone anyway.

 

[whaler11]

So espns two options are to stay with the current new format - which everyone hates or go back to the old ways of highlights which will please some people ? Hmmmm sounds simple to me. Some is better than none.

The one you think pleases some people comes with lower ratings. I know they seem stupid but they aren’t as stupid as you think because Clay Travis says so and you have a bubble of people who agree with you.

You only think you want 1994 SportsCenter.

 

[JB75]

I understand what you’re saying but Seinfeld and cheers weekly shows at a specific time slot - I was merely just tuning in late night after the nightly big game to catch some highlights. There’s 24 hours in a day they can do an hour morning sports center and an evening one to recap the days events that’s 2 to 3 hours out of 24 that leaves you 20 hours to fill the rest with analysts and human interest stories for hours at a 24 is asking too much

 

[JB75]

Sorry typo. I meant they “can’t “ 4 hours of highlights in a 24 hour day is asking too much? Fill the rest with nonsense Who cares. What u got to lose ?

 

[BlueMAB]

You know one person right now young or old who loves the new ESPN in the direction it’s going? I work with kids all day and they don’t seem to care... again , ESPN use your brains and target your core (30-50) or you ll soon be as irrelevant as blockbuster, dvds or mtv

Contact ESPN.com

 

[WhereistheDove?]

Sorry typo. I meant they “can’t “ 4 hours of highlights in a 24 hour day is asking too much? Fill the rest with nonsense Who cares. What u got to lose ?

....ratings and to that end, money. That is what they have to lose.

 

[Rocktheworld]

Primetime? You want Primetime to air 16 hours after the games?

Primetime would have been killed by RedZone anyway.

I mean it still preceded MNF, just one more game in between... again I watched the show for Berman and TJ more than anything else. Wouldn’t matter to me.