Welcome to the blog of Dr. Lisa Burns' Media Studies senior capstone class (3:30 pm section) at Quinnipiac University. If you're looking for the latest on media industry trends and insightful media analysis, you've come to the right place!
Wednesday, March 24, 2021
Celebrity & Sports Blog 7, Question 3 (March 30th)
Has sports media reached a tipping point in its
reliance on traditional/legacy media? What changes, if any, do you expect to
see over the next 3 – 5 years?Limit: 6 responses
Streaming has seemingly taken control of the media landscape over the past couple of years, but sports is the one industry that I think will continue to escape streaming dominated distribution. While the pandemic among other things has converted our ways of digesting content, sports remain a constant where you have to be present to be a part of the action. There are a number of reasons why I believe sports will remain popular on legacy media like television, and that starts with contracts.
Live sporting events consistently pull in the highest number of viewers on television, and that is in part due to the major networks making agreements with sports leagues for rights to broadcast their games. NBC, FOX and ABC/ESPN are the main players when it comes to showing the big games, but fans are also interested in the presentation of their favorite teams. From graphics to overall aesthetic, new contract agreements and new seasons means new visuals for sports fans to enjoy. Almost 3 weeks ago the NHL and ABC/ESPN agreed to a new deal.
“ESPN and the NHL announced a seven-year deal on Wednesday, returning hockey to ESPN for the first time since 2004. Included will be 25 regular-season games on ESPN or ABC, early-round playoff series and one conference final each year, four Stanley Cup Final series on ABC and more than 1,000 games per season streaming on ESPN+” (ESPN).
Disney has boosted ESPN back into their prime by acquiring some rights to the NHL as well as gaining entry to host upcoming Super Bowls, which beefs up their broadcasting schedule with their only other big player having been the NBA Finals.
Sports leagues have begun to dip their hands into streaming, but for the most part they have continued to stick to their monkey maker, which is television. The NFL and Amazon have had a deal for a couple of years where Amazon sponsored and broadcasted Thursday night games. The two giants have now partnered for a more complex deal.
“Amazon has over 100 million U.S. subscribers to Amazon Prime, all of whom will have access to Thursday Night Football. That's more than the entire traditional pay-TV ecosystem, which is now made up of approximately 82 million households, according to nScreenMedia” (Weprin).
This new deal begins in 2023 and will have Amazon exclusively broadcasting games on Prime Video. This experiment will show the NFL whether or not streaming could be a concrete part of their future, or if they should stick to the legacy companies.
I believe that sports will stay mostly on television for one main reason. Connection issues are a part of all streaming services, and most fans are unwilling to miss out on even one second of their team, which would more than likely make them stick to watching games on a wired connection. Business Insider states that “You might be limited by your internet connection speed. Your connection must be fast (and reliable) enough or streaming playback will fail, with audio or video playback that starts, stops, stutters, and buffers” (Johnson). I personally have tried watching live sports on a laptop via a streaming service, and it is always a roll of the dice when it comes to connectivity issues. Relying on WIFI for a crystal-clear image of your favorite players is not a great option at this point in time. As technology evolves, streaming may take a firmer hold of the sports industry, but in the next 5 years or so I think that live sports will be most profitable and watchable via cable television.
Johnson, Dave. “The Beginner’s Guide to Streaming, Including How It Works, the Pros and Cons, and More.” Business Insider, 11 Jan. 2021, www.businessinsider.com/what-is-streaming?international=true&r=US&IR=T.
“NHL Back on ESPN with 7-Year Multiplatform Deal.” ESPN.Com, 10 Mar. 2021, www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/31039351/nhl-back-espn-7-year-multiplatform-deal.
Weprin, Alex. “With $100B NFL Deal, TV Networks Keep One Foot In the Bundle and Another in Streaming.” The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Mar. 2021, www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/nfl-tv-streaming-analysis.
Doug Cahn Sports media is in a crazy place right now. In my opinion, sports media is currently at its best and at the same time at its worst. I know that seems a little confusing, but I can see a shift in the past ten-plus years as a massive sports fan. Let's start with how traditional sports media is good for somethings but also, in some ways, awful. The great thing about conventional sports media currently is that you have a sports network for every major sport in the US, and you have a plethora of other sports networks. When people think of sports tv, though, the first thing that comes to mind is ESPN, and I think ESPN has never been worse. A significant problem with ESPN is that if they don't show the sport on their channels, they will not bother talking about it on SportsCenter.A great example of this is the NHL; since the NHL left, the ESPN airwaves hockey is barely talked about, so if you wanted to know what is going on in hockey, you either had to get NHL Network to watch NBCSN. But, with the recent news of the ABC deal with the NHL that will start to change, "ESPN and the NHL announced a seven-year deal on Wednesday, returning hockey to ESPN for the first time since 2004. Included will be 25 regular-season games on ESPN or ABC, early-round playoff series and one conference final each year, four Stanley Cup Final series on ABC and more than 1,000 games per season streaming on ESPN+." (ESPN) If you are a hockey fan, this will draw you back to them, and they are bringing back the iconic NHL on ABC theme song, which is a huge bonus. One other problem with ESPN and traditional sports media is how much they talk about Lebron James. It feels like ever since Lebron James has been in the NBA, there hasn't been a day that ESPN hasn't spoken to him, and that pushes a lot of people away from them because they are tired of hearing about it. In a Bleacher Report article from 2011 regarding his free agency, "This offseason, ESPN has designated some of their programming to be a show twitter LeBron James twitter feed. They treat his tweets the way a priest treats bible scripture." (Sheehan) One more thing that is huge for sports media and how it will be approached is the recent 100 billion dollar deal the NFL recently made with networks. "The National Football League's eye-watering 11-year, $100 billion media rights deals will have repercussions for the media and entertainment industry for years to come — but it may not hasten the end of linear TV as its currently set up." (Weprin) A considerable part of that deal is the ability to flex bad Monday night football games and put on a much better game. All in all, traditional sports media will always have its place but so will new wave media.
“NHL Back on ESPN with 7-Year Multiplatform Deal.” ESPN, ESPN Internet Ventures, 10 Mar. 2021, www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/31039351/nhl-back-espn-7-year-multiplatform-deal. Sheehan, Matt. “The King's TV Station: Just How Sickening Is ESPN's Love for LeBron James?” Bleacher Report, Bleacher Report, 29 Sept. 2017, bleacherreport.com/articles/838405-kings-tv-station-just-how-sickening-is-espns-love-for-lebron-james. Weprin, Alex. “With $100B NFL Deal, TV Networks Keep One Foot In the Bundle and Another in Streaming.” The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Mar. 2021, www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/nfl-tv-streaming-analysis.
This year we have seen how sports teams and fans have adapted to the changing times. The dedication towards teams results in fans watching games on whatever platform is covering the game. This year has also been huge in consumers shifting to streaming services. Streaming services have provided exclusive packages for fans such as the NHL. The NHL has decided to return to ESPN which will include more than 1,000 games per season streaming on ESPN+ as well as Hulu. This decision was made in the interest of fans as well as a financial boost for the NHL. As NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said this new deal “ sets a new standard in delivering our fame to the most passionate and tech-savvy fans in sports in ways they now demand on the platforms they use” (ESPN). Joining ESPN+ allows fans to have access to everything they love all in one place and we can see the success as they currently have more than 12 million subscribers (ESPN). I personally think this number will continue to grow in the next 2-5 years especially because eligible Hulu subscribers can add ESPN+ for $5.99 a month. This will be adding thousands of live sports events, shows, and documentaries for customers (Disney Media Entertainment & Distribution). This addition will attract many Hulu users as it is reported that “nearly 60% of Hulu subscribers identify as sports fans” (Disney Media Entertainment & Distribution). Sports fans have the best of both worlds in my eyes with this package as ESPN+ provides exclusive programming including UFC fights, NHL, college sports, top domestic and international soccer, Golf, MLB, Boxing, Grand Slam tennis, rugby, cricket, and more (Disney Media Entertainment & Distribution). The package really includes it all in my eyes! You can also bundle ESPN+ with Hulu and Disney plus for 12.99 per month. This bundle is saving customers $6 each month(Hastings, Cohen). With Disney + being one of the most valuable streaming services this package is perfect for keeping a whole family happy. In contrast, we see the strategy of the NFL who keeps one foot in the bundle and another in streaming. The growth of digital is significant, however, they have highlighted that traditional TV is still incredibly important as it is reaching over 200 million people a year through television (Weprin). I personally think this strategy is strong. We can see this highlighted as Fox Sports EVP Michael Mulvihill states that “94% of NFL game inventory in the new deals stays on linear TV". As long as fans are tuning in on television it makes sense to keep coverage available and just as good. As technology continues to expand, keeping fans happy and viewership high remains the goal.
ESPN+ on Hulu Launches." Disney Media Entertainment and Distribution 10 March 2021, https://dmedmedia.disney.com/news/espn+-on-hulu-launches
"NHL Back on ESPN with 7-year Multiplatform Deal." ESPN 10 March 2021, https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/31039351/nhl-back-espn-7-year-multiplatform-deal
Hastings, Nick, and Steven Cohen. “A Full Price Breakdown for the ESPN+ Sports Streaming Service.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 8 Jan. 2021, www.businessinsider.com/how-much-is-espn-plus.
Weprin, Alex. ""With $100B NFL Deal, TV Networks Keep One Foot In the Bundle and Another in Streaming" The Hollywood Reporter 19 March 2021, https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/nfl-tv-streaming-analysis
Martineau Blog 7
ReplyDeleteStreaming has seemingly taken control of the media landscape over the past couple of years, but sports is the one industry that I think will continue to escape streaming dominated distribution. While the pandemic among other things has converted our ways of digesting content, sports remain a constant where you have to be present to be a part of the action. There are a number of reasons why I believe sports will remain popular on legacy media like television, and that starts with contracts.
Live sporting events consistently pull in the highest number of viewers on television, and that is in part due to the major networks making agreements with sports leagues for rights to broadcast their games. NBC, FOX and ABC/ESPN are the main players when it comes to showing the big games, but fans are also interested in the presentation of their favorite teams. From graphics to overall aesthetic, new contract agreements and new seasons means new visuals for sports fans to enjoy. Almost 3 weeks ago the NHL and ABC/ESPN agreed to a new deal.
“ESPN and the NHL announced a seven-year deal on Wednesday, returning hockey to ESPN for the first time since 2004. Included will be 25 regular-season games on ESPN or ABC, early-round playoff series and one conference final each year, four Stanley Cup Final series on ABC and more than 1,000 games per season streaming on ESPN+” (ESPN).
Disney has boosted ESPN back into their prime by acquiring some rights to the NHL as well as gaining entry to host upcoming Super Bowls, which beefs up their broadcasting schedule with their only other big player having been the NBA Finals.
Sports leagues have begun to dip their hands into streaming, but for the most part they have continued to stick to their monkey maker, which is television. The NFL and Amazon have had a deal for a couple of years where Amazon sponsored and broadcasted Thursday night games. The two giants have now partnered for a more complex deal.
“Amazon has over 100 million U.S. subscribers to Amazon Prime, all of whom will have access to Thursday Night Football. That's more than the entire traditional pay-TV ecosystem, which is now made up of approximately 82 million households, according to nScreenMedia” (Weprin).
This new deal begins in 2023 and will have Amazon exclusively broadcasting games on Prime Video. This experiment will show the NFL whether or not streaming could be a concrete part of their future, or if they should stick to the legacy companies.
I believe that sports will stay mostly on television for one main reason. Connection issues are a part of all streaming services, and most fans are unwilling to miss out on even one second of their team, which would more than likely make them stick to watching games on a wired connection. Business Insider states that “You might be limited by your internet connection speed. Your connection must be fast (and reliable) enough or streaming playback will fail, with audio or video playback that starts, stops, stutters, and buffers” (Johnson). I personally have tried watching live sports on a laptop via a streaming service, and it is always a roll of the dice when it comes to connectivity issues. Relying on WIFI for a crystal-clear image of your favorite players is not a great option at this point in time. As technology evolves, streaming may take a firmer hold of the sports industry, but in the next 5 years or so I think that live sports will be most profitable and watchable via cable television.
Works Cited
DeleteJohnson, Dave. “The Beginner’s Guide to Streaming, Including How It Works, the Pros and Cons, and More.” Business Insider, 11 Jan. 2021, www.businessinsider.com/what-is-streaming?international=true&r=US&IR=T.
“NHL Back on ESPN with 7-Year Multiplatform Deal.” ESPN.Com, 10 Mar. 2021, www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/31039351/nhl-back-espn-7-year-multiplatform-deal.
Weprin, Alex. “With $100B NFL Deal, TV Networks Keep One Foot In the Bundle and Another in Streaming.” The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Mar. 2021, www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/nfl-tv-streaming-analysis.
Doug Cahn
ReplyDeleteSports media is in a crazy place right now. In my opinion, sports media is currently at its best and at the same time at its worst. I know that seems a little confusing, but I can see a shift in the past ten-plus years as a massive sports fan. Let's start with how traditional sports media is good for somethings but also, in some ways, awful. The great thing about conventional sports media currently is that you have a sports network for every major sport in the US, and you have a plethora of other sports networks. When people think of sports tv, though, the first thing that comes to mind is ESPN, and I think ESPN has never been worse. A significant problem with ESPN is that if they don't show the sport on their channels, they will not bother talking about it on SportsCenter.A great example of this is the NHL; since the NHL left, the ESPN airwaves hockey is barely talked about, so if you wanted to know what is going on in hockey, you either had to get NHL Network to watch NBCSN. But, with the recent news of the ABC deal with the NHL that will start to change, "ESPN and the NHL announced a seven-year deal on Wednesday, returning hockey to ESPN for the first time since 2004. Included will be 25 regular-season games on ESPN or ABC, early-round playoff series and one conference final each year, four Stanley Cup Final series on ABC and more than 1,000 games per season streaming on ESPN+." (ESPN) If you are a hockey fan, this will draw you back to them, and they are bringing back the iconic NHL on ABC theme song, which is a huge bonus. One other problem with ESPN and traditional sports media is how much they talk about Lebron James. It feels like ever since Lebron James has been in the NBA, there hasn't been a day that ESPN hasn't spoken to him, and that pushes a lot of people away from them because they are tired of hearing about it. In a Bleacher Report article from 2011 regarding his free agency, "This offseason, ESPN has designated some of their programming to be a show twitter LeBron James twitter feed. They treat his tweets the way a priest treats bible scripture." (Sheehan) One more thing that is huge for sports media and how it will be approached is the recent 100 billion dollar deal the NFL recently made with networks. "The National Football League's eye-watering 11-year, $100 billion media rights deals will have repercussions for the media and entertainment industry for years to come — but it may not hasten the end of linear TV as its currently set up." (Weprin) A considerable part of that deal is the ability to flex bad Monday night football games and put on a much better game. All in all, traditional sports media will always have its place but so will new wave media.
“NHL Back on ESPN with 7-Year Multiplatform Deal.” ESPN, ESPN Internet Ventures, 10 Mar. 2021, www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/31039351/nhl-back-espn-7-year-multiplatform-deal.
Sheehan, Matt. “The King's TV Station: Just How Sickening Is ESPN's Love for LeBron James?” Bleacher Report, Bleacher Report, 29 Sept. 2017, bleacherreport.com/articles/838405-kings-tv-station-just-how-sickening-is-espns-love-for-lebron-james.
Weprin, Alex. “With $100B NFL Deal, TV Networks Keep One Foot In the Bundle and Another in Streaming.” The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Mar. 2021, www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/nfl-tv-streaming-analysis.
Harriet Rice
ReplyDeleteThis year we have seen how sports teams and fans have adapted to the changing times. The dedication towards teams results in fans watching games on whatever platform is covering the game. This year has also been huge in consumers shifting to streaming services. Streaming services have provided exclusive packages for fans such as the NHL. The NHL has decided to return to ESPN which will include more than 1,000 games per season streaming on ESPN+ as well as Hulu. This decision was made in the interest of fans as well as a financial boost for the NHL. As NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said this new deal “ sets a new standard in delivering our fame to the most passionate and tech-savvy fans in sports in ways they now demand on the platforms they use” (ESPN). Joining ESPN+ allows fans to have access to everything they love all in one place and we can see the success as they currently have more than 12 million subscribers (ESPN). I personally think this number will continue to grow in the next 2-5 years especially because eligible Hulu subscribers can add ESPN+ for $5.99 a month. This will be adding thousands of live sports events, shows, and documentaries for customers (Disney Media Entertainment & Distribution). This addition will attract many Hulu users as it is reported that “nearly 60% of Hulu subscribers identify as sports fans” (Disney Media Entertainment & Distribution). Sports fans have the best of both worlds in my eyes with this package as ESPN+ provides exclusive programming including UFC fights, NHL, college sports, top domestic and international soccer, Golf, MLB, Boxing, Grand Slam tennis, rugby, cricket, and more (Disney Media Entertainment & Distribution). The package really includes it all in my eyes! You can also bundle ESPN+ with Hulu and Disney plus for 12.99 per month. This bundle is saving customers $6 each month(Hastings, Cohen). With Disney + being one of the most valuable streaming services this package is perfect for keeping a whole family happy. In contrast, we see the strategy of the NFL who keeps one foot in the bundle and another in streaming. The growth of digital is significant, however, they have highlighted that traditional TV is still incredibly important as it is reaching over 200 million people a year through television (Weprin). I personally think this strategy is strong. We can see this highlighted as Fox Sports EVP Michael Mulvihill states that “94% of NFL game inventory in the new deals stays on linear TV". As long as fans are tuning in on television it makes sense to keep coverage available and just as good. As technology continues to expand, keeping fans happy and viewership high remains the goal.
Works Cited
ReplyDeleteESPN+ on Hulu Launches." Disney Media Entertainment and Distribution 10 March 2021, https://dmedmedia.disney.com/news/espn+-on-hulu-launches
"NHL Back on ESPN with 7-year Multiplatform Deal." ESPN 10 March 2021,
https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/31039351/nhl-back-espn-7-year-multiplatform-deal
Hastings, Nick, and Steven Cohen. “A Full Price Breakdown for the ESPN+ Sports Streaming Service.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 8 Jan. 2021, www.businessinsider.com/how-much-is-espn-plus.
Weprin, Alex. ""With $100B NFL Deal, TV Networks Keep One Foot In the Bundle and Another in Streaming" The Hollywood Reporter 19 March 2021,
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/nfl-tv-streaming-analysis