Discovery have no choice but to re-up with the league.
Theyhaveto have the NBA.
And its pretty close to existential withTNT.
Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
I dont know if theyhaveto have the NBA, but I think they do.
NBCUniversal, whose Peacock streaming service carries a significant amount of live sports, has reportedly also expressed interest.
Live sports viewership is the main thing keeping the traditional pay-TV bundle from completely unraveling.
ESPN, for example, has lost more than one-quarter of its household penetration over the past decade.
Some observers have speculated that any softness in ratings down the line could make Disney-ESPN and Warner Bros.
Discovery, which owns TNT, less eager to shell out tens of billions on a new package.
Im not sure that ratings ever factored that much into the calculation of rights deals, Samson said.
We didnt get paid according to ratings, other than advertising, Skipper agreed.
Distribution fees, he added, dont change a cent based on ratings.
I never did a whole lot of calculating and figuring out of What should we pay?'
I had a CFO who spent time doing the budgets and doing the projections.
… Im simply talking about the idea that there is some intrinsic, inherent value that can be calculated.
Turner and ESPN need this content.
This is a really, really hard problem.
In more recent times, ESPN has elected to let marquee properties like Big Ten football leave the fold.
Speculation has turned toward tech firms or pro leagues as potential stakeholders.
Samson said it means Disney intends to sell off ESPN for attend to its other corporate priorities.
They may be forced to because Im not sure there is a minority partner.
Torre is also a former ESPN staffer.
