Is ESPN the Napster of the Television Industry?
ESPN Takes One Step Closer to Changing the TV Industry
It seems almost every month a new streaming video service launches enabling people who want to legally watch movies and TV shows without a traditional cable bill. However, ‘cord cutting’ is arguably being curtailed by fans who need their sports fix. That could be changing in the future, as as ESPN is reportedly deliberating a streaming package that wouldn’t require a ‘TV Everywhere’ subscription.
While a streaming package such as this would allow ESPN to offer a sample of its live programming directly to consumers, it would still reserve its premium cont
ent, like NBA and NFL games, for cable/satellite (‘TV Everywhere’) subscribers. At least for now, the streaming package would focus on ‘niche’ sporting events, which could include college sports coverage.
ESPN and other networks that offer sports (such as TNT) are already available on streaming services like PlayStation Vue and Sling TV, and while that includes full access to their content, it still requires that users pay for at least a handful of channels. ESPN or the other channels can’t be purchased individually… for now.
Cable made a calculated move by launching ‘TV Everywhere’ in hopes of preventing the implosion of its business model as occurred with music (precipitated by Napster.) As most know by now, the concept of ‘TV Everywhere’ is to enable a subscriber to watch their favorite programming or stream the network, whenever and wherever.
The Information doesn’t have any specifics on when ESPN might launch a streaming package, but the network maintains the position that it will not make full access to its content available without a cable subscription.
Need help navigating the complex world of ‘TV Everywhere’? We can help!
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