Sources: ESPN expected to announce layoffs this week -- 300 folks + 200 openings

[LadyStanley]

ESPN expected to announce layoffs this week: Sources

Paywall.

Sources report ESPN to layoff a number of employees. Remote broadcast workers expect to be hit hard. A number of talent folks won't have contracts renewed.

Click to read more...

 

[Fatass]

ESPN expected to announce layoffs this week: Sources

Paywall.

Sources report ESPN to layoff a number of employees. Remote broadcast workers expect to be hit hard. A number of talent folks won't have contracts renewed.

Will this effect any NHL TV deal?

 

[Hockeyholic]

 

[Rabid Ranger]

Addition by subtraction.

 

[Mrfenn92]

They’ll lay off talented people again but keep Stephen A and max. 2 extremely untalented folks.

 

[LadyStanley]

ESPN cuts 300 staffers, 200 more open positions

Paywall. 300 laid off, 200 open positions closed.


How might it impact bidding on NHL TV deal? That's a "long term" strategic issue. How much does the network need content? How much would they be willing to pay?
I think it might be more impacted by ESPN potentially being spun off or sold by Disney Corp. (As some have speculated in financial circles. )

 

[Smirnov2Chistov]

If there is one thing hockey fans agree on, it's our equal hatred of ESPN

 

[Fenway]

Roughly 10% of staff whacked

ESPN told employees Thursday it was eliminating 500 jobs, or 10% of its workforce, including 300 workers and 200 open positions. The Bristol sports network cited “tremendous disruption” in sports coverage made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic.

”For some time, ESPN has been engaged in planning for its future amidst tremendous disruption in how fans consume sports," Jimmy Pitaro, ESPN chairman, said in a statement. “The pandemic’s effect on ESPN clearly accelerated our thinking on all fronts."

ESPN to cut 500 jobs as COVID-19 causes ‘tremendous disruption’

 

[StreetHawk]

Of the 300 expected layoffs, ESPN may allow people who have contracts due up in the next year to expire. So, depends on who those individuals are.

 

[Lt Dan]

Roughly 10% of staff whacked

ESPN told employees Thursday it was eliminating 500 jobs, or 10% of its workforce, including 300 workers and 200 open positions. The Bristol sports network cited “tremendous disruption” in sports coverage made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic.

”For some time, ESPN has been engaged in planning for its future amidst tremendous disruption in how fans consume sports," Jimmy Pitaro, ESPN chairman, said in a statement. “The pandemic’s effect on ESPN clearly accelerated our thinking on all fronts."

ESPN to cut 500 jobs as COVID-19 causes ‘tremendous disruption’

It is comical to me that they are still blind to the bigger causes of their demise and I don't feel bad for them

ESPN went too far over in to the MTV model of producing too many shows and getting more in to social issues and not just sticking to sports.

Consumers are tired of paying outrageous carriage fees that they have no say over and ESPN is still one of the worst about annual double digit increases to their fees and holding the cable operators hostage. Streaming services like Philo are very attractive and have done well serving consumers who don't want to pay the high carriage fees of sports networks .
Sling Blue is much more popular than Sling Orange because of Disney/ESPN's high carraige fees. It has 15 more channels than Orange for this very reason

 

[BOS358]

With ESPN hemorrhaging money and staff, you have to wonder if they have any assets besides the name "ESPN," which seems to be valuable for nostalgia purposes only.

 

[Ted Hoffman]

If there is one thing hockey fans agree on, it's our equal hatred of ESPN

You would be shocked and disappointed at how many hockey fans want the NHL to go back to ESPN while at least quietly acknowledging that ESPN would shit all over the NHL again. You would also be shocked and disappointed at how many of them think ESPN would land the NHL on the main network and devote significant SportsCenter time to the league at the expense of all the billions being thrown at the NBA, NFL and college sports and whatever it ends up lobbing at MLB for a new contract.