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Message: [QUOTE="BigBird, post: 2198042, member: 4247"] Of course I have considered the causal relationships. You missed a key point, perhaps. Studio shows are cheap. Broadcast rights and game-site production costs are not. We get ever fewer actual competitive events or games; instead we get the talk/debate stuff. And yes, audience preferences are dynamic. So are technology shifts. While I could not happily watch an NBA game on my Iphone 5, my larger Iphone 7 makes that possible for me. Things change. As to subscribers moving away from "cable," they are moving, where possible, into tiers that do not contain ESPN. Whether it's basic (statuatory) cable or lowest tier satellite, the effect is the same. For many young families, the kind of jack I spend on cable and SATV is out of range. If I had to cut my costs of living, I'd start there, no doubts. As to Sirius-XM, they got big because early on, they were clearly an alternative to the yapping local DJ, whether the AM or FM style (once upon a time, there was actually a difference). They understood back then that they were subscription radio, making it annoying and unnecessary to continually ID themselves. I know who I am listening to when I'm paying for the priviledge. And who needs an announcer when the same information about the songs or programs is more concisely provided on the screen in the center console? But they plod on into the past. The technology has changed, and they have not. I have wondered if their use of announcer/DJ's is an attempt to squeeze out more dollars. The more copyrighted music you play, the more you typically have to pay out for rights. Talk more, less music, lower costs. Just a possibility. Finally, before you decide that ESPN isn't experiencing audience "fatigue," please note the ratings and share data. Ratings may be down because of dwindling subscriptions. Share, on the other hand, measures how often potential viewers actually choose ESPN versus the competing channels. Both are down as of the last time I saw numbers for them. But again, things can change. BTW...Nice post, VG. [/QUOTE]

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