ESPN pays $2 billion a year to the NFL for Monday Night Football and one NFL wild card playoff game. I've written for the past couple of years that as ESPN's business collapses that ESPN's decision on whether or not to bid to keep Monday Night Football would be the first big test of how rapidly that business is deteriorating.
What's a deteriorating business look like? In the month of October ESPN lost over 15,000 subscribers a day in October per the latest Nielson estimates.
15,000 a day!
Losing 15,000 subscribers per day is a lot, but is that because of the NFL anthem protests or because cord-cutting has finally reached a tipping point?
(Score: 4, Informative) by bob_super on Wednesday November 01 2017, @04:56PM
Before there were cameras dissecting every movement on the field, Rugby players were keeping each other reasonable by reminding any guy playing mean/dangerous that he would soon get a turn at the bottom of the pile. Anyone who didn't get the hint quickly was likely to limp for a few days.
The additions of the skull caps, and the professionalization which caused the average player to gain 50 to 100 pounds in the gym, are causing more injuries.
But at least, the play doesn't stop every 9 seconds for a beer commercial.