With no end in close range to the labor dispute between the WGA, SAG-AFTRA and Hollywood studios, networks like ABC are looking to live sports to fill gaps in fall programming.
Disney announced Monday that ABC would be simulcasting ESPN’s Monday Night Football broadcast for 10 additional weeks this season. It’s a decision that many cable and satellite distribution executives are fuming about.
ESPN already comes at a premium to consumers and distributors, but execs are upset because games that were supposed to be considered ESPN exclusives are now going to be available on over-the-air TV.
“This whole double-dipping on the backs of distributors is just ridiculous,” one executive told Sports Business Journal. “This is not going to endear the Walt Disney Co. to its distribution partners. Its flagship content was supposed to sit within ESPN. The fact that it has now sprung free to ABC to cover the fact that they aren’t willing to pay actors and screenwriters is BS.”
