[chrisk]

ESPN is desperate to improve their bottom line. That involves slashing on-air talent and succumbing to the allure of getting into gambling. It’s also why they’re unlikely to chip in enough money to make it worth the ACC’s while to add Stanford and Cal.

What happens if Disney (and Hearst Corp) decide that espn is not pulling its weight and tries to sell it, there are no takers and just close espn down and Disney doesnot stream any college football games, is Disney on the hook for the monies owed to the big10, big12, sec, acc?

Closing ESPN does not rid Disney of the liabilities. They would have to be negotiated. Disney is looking for an investor in ESPN. If they could accomplish that, that would reduce the burden. Disney has to be very smart about the transition to streaming. They have to continue to make it worthwhile for cable companies to distribute their product even as subscribers dwindle while making it available on streaming for a profitable price. It is somewhat like phone companies milking land lines as cash cows while promoting mobile phone. They may try to come up with streaming package bundles that rival tranditional cable packages to obtain the maximum subscriber base.

[chrisk]

ESPN is desperate to improve their bottom line. That involves slashing on-air talent and succumbing to the allure of getting into gambling. It’s also why they’re unlikely to chip in enough money to make it worth the ACC’s while to add Stanford and Cal.

What happens if Disney (and Hearst Corp) decide that espn is not pulling its weight and tries to sell it, there are no takers and just close espn down and Disney doesnot stream any college football games, is Disney on the hook for the monies owed to the big10, big12, sec, acc?

Closing ESPN does not rid Disney of the liabilities. They would have to be negotiated. Disney is looking for an investor in ESPN. If they could accomplish that, that would reduce the burden. Disney has to be very smart about the transition to streaming. They have to continue to make it worthwhile for cable companies to distribute their product even as subscribers dwindle while making it available on streaming for a profitable price. It is somewhat like phone companies milking land lines as cash cows while promoting mobile phone. They may try to come up with streaming package bundles that rival tranditional cable packages to obtain the maximum subscriber base.