ESPN and Spectrum picked a hell of a time to have a carriage dispute.
As the college football world barreled down on ESPN last week, Spectrum users were greeted with the dreaded screen of poppycock text that tries to make you think one billion-dollar company is being horribly inconvenienced by the other.
The entire premise of the dispute is stupid. ESPN wants more money from Spectrum, Spectrum wants to pay ESPN as little as possible, and by bickering back and forth, neither side accomplishes anything. Tale as old as time. Or, at least as old as the 1980s.
And yet, I can’t help but wonder why the situation doesn’t make the power brokers in Bristol simply wake up and start firing off emails that read: “Get our direct-to-consumer offering off the ground. Now.”
I realize this is a completely cavalier attitude to have, but from ESPN’s perspective, it has to be hard to not say “To hell with cable, Spectrum, Xfinity, Dish, DirecTV, Cox, Verizon, Mediacom, and anyone else who stands in our way”.
Because from strictly a content standpoint, you can’t have a situation like last weekend happen. It’s simply inexcusable.
Cable companies can’t afford to be held hostage by channels and vice versa. So, cable channels like ESPN need to use the one bullet left in the chamber.
Go over the top. Bypass the middle man and get your content in the hands of the people who want it.
Can a direct-to-consumer move be rushed? Obviously, it’s easier said than done. But Bob Iger, Jimmy Pitaro, Burke Magnus, Norby Williamson, and others are in a –excuse my French — world of shit if the situation isn’t figured out by the time Monday Night Football is slated to kick off next week.
There apparently needs to be a message sent to cable providers, because it hasn’t been clear enough: an extremely small percentage of your subscribers are loyal to your service. But what your subscribers are loyal to are brands and personalities. ESPN is one of the strongest brands in the world, and it broadcasts other strong brands like Florida State, LSU, Utah, Florida, Oklahoma, Auburn, Texas A&M, Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit, and College GameDay, none of which could be seen on your service this past weekend. Your subscribers don’t care about your plight. In fact, all they want to do is mentally escape from theirs.
So, it’s time for ESPN to hit other companies where it hurts. Fast-track the direct-to-consumer offering and see how fast it takes future disputes to be settled. I’m guessing the Worldwide Leader will enjoy the newfound leverage.
Kick the project into hyperdrive and get it done and out there. People are tired of being jerked around and unable to watch the shows and games they expect to be able to watch.
What’s the old saying? “Speak softly and carry a big stick”? It’s time to start swinging your stick, ESPN.
Garrett Searight is Barrett Media’s News Editor, which includes writing daily news stories, features, and opinion columns. He joined Barrett Media in 2022 after a decade leading several radio brands in several formats, as well as a 5-year stint working in local television. In addition to his work with Barrett Media, he is a radio and TV play-by-play broadcaster. Reach out to him at Garrett@BarrettMedia.com.
