If they did, I think this would be the end of ESPN and would serve as a lesson in business schools for decades on how corporations commit suicide.
[HollywoodReporter] It’s not outlandish to entertain a previously unthinkable prospect: Might ESPN elect to go without rights to NFL games?
In a span of less than five years, industry giant ESPN has seen its narrative transformed from that of a mighty colossus into the hard-luck tale of a ragtag warrior.
As it struggles to regain heretofore heroic heights ‐ levels of growth that are probably no longer attainable ‐ ESPN has had to endure a slew of significant workforce layoffs (with more reportedly on the way) and a once-doting Wall Street that has turned a skeptically cold shoulder. Astonishing increases in earnings, previously viewed as faits acomplis, now seem like fantasies from another world, thanks to the now-familiar combo of cord-cutting and burgeoning rights fees.
With so much of ESPN’s universe asunder, it’s not outlandish now to entertain a previously unthinkable prospect: Might ESPN elect to go without rights to NFL games after the expiration of its eight-year deal for Monday Night Football in 2021?! |