ESPN committed itself to billions of dollars for the right to cover
college and professional sports.
100 “on-air talent” will get the axe to help pay for it.
The Big 10 package with ESPN was for $1 billion over 10 years. The
Big 10 replacement deal with ESPN and Fox is for $2.64 billion over six years.
ESPN, CBS, Fox and NBC will
ante $39.6 billion over 9 years for NFL games.
Advertisers balk at escalating prices for commercials. ESPN has lost
seven million subscribers in two years.
The math has stopped working.
There’s no free lunch. For 100 ESPN on-air talent, this runaway
train has eaten their lunch . . . and breakfast and dinner and rent.
