PanthersATL

FOX paid streaming service is Hulu. There's still an ESPN standalone product coming. Combining forces for a sports-only add-on is smart. If it takes off, I could see Paramount and Peacock joining up since it's another Revenue stream for them and doesn't take away from their current subscriber base since the games would stream in both places

Disney isn't setting the price by themselves. It's a tri-owned partnership with independent oversight. Pricing is expected to be high, however, as it will be competing with the coming ESPN direct to consumer product and is a niche audience. (You can always bring your own food into a Disney park, but thats not todays topic) Based on the PR, the content will not be exclusive to this service. NFL games will still be shown in local markets through traditional means. And all channels will still be covered via however you're getting them today. If you're already watching NBA on TBS, then this product isn't targeting you. They're aiming for a sports fan who wants to watch these channels but doesn't have a way to do so via their current TV watching setup

Yes, prices have increased, but its in part due to the need to pay for content to put onto the service along with providing the infrastructure The other piece is that streaming services see a lot of monthly churn in subscribers, with users signing in for a month or two to binge-watch, then dropping for a while and switching services. This leads to unpredictable revenue trendlines Netflix is the only streamer making money, and they have the highest month-to-month subscriber percentage (ie less overall churn). Usage shows most streaming households have Netflix and one other streamer active for any given month. It's rare for any household to maintain active subs for peacock, Netflix, Paramount, Hulu at the same time. If consumers subscribed to streaming services the same way they did to cable (via annual renewal contracts) there's a small chance that prices would not have increased as much.

Price hasn’t been announced yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised for it to be at least $30/month minimum. Analysts say a direct to consumer ESPN product would likely be in the $20-30/month range anyway. DTC needs to be priced higher than what ESPN was getting paid by the cable companies to make up for the user shift and added associated costs from one distribution channel to their own

Looks like a convo is happening at

There’s no exclusivity, so the NFL ends up,getting a wider audience (hopefully) utilizing their current contracts. None of the sports being shown are intended to be exclusive to this platform but will still be available via their original partners. its like competing radio stations all being avail on TuneIn, iHeart, their own apps, Audacy… the stations get wider reach for the same product.

They’d rather license it out to others who have the tech infrastructure to handle it. They’ll stick with generating the content, let professionals (whatever that platform ends up being) handle the distribution MLB tried their own platform. It ended up being bought by Disney as the initial core of Disney Streaming and the start of ESPN+ etc https://www.cnbc.com/2016/08/09/how-disney-mlb-advanced-media-deal-sets-them-up-for-the-future.html

Commercials or commercials+subscription. Netflix is the only streamer making money, and their most popular plan is the ad tier. someone has to pay the people running the cameras, manning the equipment, reporting and reading the news and weather. Write the funny comedies, etc. money to pay for all that has to come from *somewhere*. If not commercials or high fees, then where?

Truthfully, it’s turning out that way. while streaming has offered massive accessibility and convenience, cable just “worked” and was simple/straightforward

Byron Allen is making a bid. Warner has too much debt already to be a viable suitor, so while it could happen, Warner is not a financially reasonable choice here

A dedicated streaming service for All Sports Content isn’t a bad idea as it eliminates one question of “which service do I need to watch XXXXX?” In this case, almost everything will be here. Ex: for the NFL you’ll get all the FOX, ABC, and ESPN games in a single app (subject to local broadcast rules as always)

Blame the channels, not the providers. theres a terrific history of ESPN book that explains the origin of the channel (in this case, ESPN) holding their content hostage for a higher royalty rate per subscriber from the cable company the cable companies want to keep their rates low, but are forced to pass along the carriage fees requested from the channels to the consumers. It’s a system that’s worked for decades until the fees became so large that consumers became fed up

Expect commercials with live sports regardless. Can’t fast forward through timeouts or tennis breaks between sets

It will be an add-on for Hulu subscribers, not provided free.

(Also posted in Nerdvana) it’s not an exclusive service. If you have access to ESPN or the other sports channels via other subscriptions, then you won’t need this one. but if you’re looking for sports (like March Madness) and have cut the cord, this is another way to watch TNT/TBS games . interesting that NBC and CBS didn’t participate.

It is poised to have sports networks including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SECN, ACCN, ESPNews, ABC, FOX, FS1, FS2, BTN, TNT, TBS, and truTV. The new service will air games from the National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Basketball Association (NBA), and the National Hockey League (NHL), along with NASCAR, PGA Tour Golf, Grand Slam Tennis, and more. Disney Plus, Hulu, and Max users will also get the option to bundle the new service.

FOX, Warner Bros Discovery, and Disney are looking to combine their sports programming under one streaming roof. Subscribers would get access to ESPN, ABC, FOX, TNT, TBS, TruTV, ESPN+, and more. Each company will own 1/3 of the new venture. https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/warner-fox-espn-streaming-spots-joint-venture-1235900161/

thought there'd be more gambling-controversy "points shaving" vs "points waxing" comments.

(on the bright side, we can be fairly confident the to-be-announced team won’t be us)

The Philadelphia Eagles will be the host team for the NFL's first regular-season game in Brazil on Friday, Sept. 6 — a day after the 2024 season opener

5G Home Internet is only going to be as good as 5G cell service in your area. And a cell connection is never going to be as reliable as a wired connection. Doesn't matter how good the wifi setup is inside the house, it's all about the connection from the router base to the outside signal. As others have said, weather is just one of many variables that could affect things. is it a reasonable good idea? Sure. Will it work for everyone? Possibly, or not.

Do the best you can to get access (either now, or passwords/2FA later) to *all* online accounts and email. You'll be surprised what you might run across that'll unexpectedly require 2FA and you don't have access to the phone/email where msgs would be sent. Worst case, if you just have access to the email you might be able to get things reset. But it'll still be a PITA

Per Shark Tank - there's at least two companies that can convert loved ones into something more practical. a) one of those fake diamonds b) converted to a collection of assorted rocks, for decoration inside the house or in the garden. Perhaps "practical" isn't the right word. "Decorative" certainly isn't. But... something more than sitting in a box.

Morgan on player toughness: "when teams drive up to BoA, they know they're going to be in for a dog fight" don't you mean, "cat fight", from a branding perspective?

he stuck to the prepared written notes