Some re-jiggering of the playing field seems in order. ESPN is the longest-lived sports network on the set-top box, having launched in 1979. In the past few years, however, rivals including CBS Corp., NBCUniversal and, this year, News Corp., have made moves to grab some of ESPN’s most cherished trophies: sports fans. And don’t forget networks backed by the sports leagues themselves, such as the MLB Network or NFL Network. More single-sports nets have also started gaining traction, including NBCU’s Golf Channel and the independent Tennis Channel.
As more and more players crowd the field, won’t the attention of fans be splintered the way the glut of entertaiment networks have nichified the rest of the video universe?
“You can still only have one NFL, one MLB, one NHL and one NBA,” says Larry Gerbrandt, principal at consultant Media Valuation Partners. “You’re not increasing the supply of sports. You’re paying higher prices for it and everyone has the same number of hours to fill.”