It looks like ESPN’s losses are speeding up. According to the most recent numbers from ESPN, they are losing 15,000 subscribers every day.
This does not mean there are 15,000 new cord cutters every day. (Although many of them are likely fully cutting the cord.) This means that every day 15,000 people downgrade their TV package to one without ESPN or cancel their cable TV package all together.
ESPN lost about 500,000 subscribers just this month. This all comes from a report from James Andrew Miller, who is the author of several New York Times bestselling books including Those Guys Have All the Fun: Inside the World of ESPN.
The bad news does not stop at the subscriber losses. According to Miller ESPN is at risk of not being able to afford NFL’s Monday Night Football going forward. ESPN is at serious risk of losing money on their NFL deal.
If ESPN walks away from Monday Night NFL Football, it will not be the first time Disney has done this. In 2005 Disney declined to renew their NFL deal because they were losing money. So there is history to back up Miller’s projection that they may drop the NFL soon.
If ESPN walks away from Monday Night Football, there is likely a long list of companies willing to buy up the rights; however, it would be one more stab in the reputation of ESPN as an almost untouchable network in the world of cable.
If you want to learn more, you can find Miller’s full breakdown HERE.
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