LEAD STORY
What Does Disney Want To Do With ESPN And Hulu?
With his job security secured, Disney CEO Bob Chapek can start fleshing out his vision for the massive media conglomerate.
Two media properties that have been unsure about their long-term positions within the conglomerate are ESPN and Hulu.
ESPN had been in the news as a property that could be detached from the Disney universe due to its high programming costs and cultural fit. But those fears can be shelved as Chapek is no longer keen on spinning it off.
With the rise of Apple and Amazon as sports streaming services, Disney sees value in keeping ESPN as it looks to compete with these new entrants. Live sports bring in a ton of viewers, which in turn helps boost the company’s coffers through subscriptions and advertising.
There are plans for ESPN to be a full-featured streaming service in the not-so-distant future, and the house of Mickey is reportedly looking to license ESPN to a sportsbook, a deal that might net them at least $3 billion.
Meanwhile, Hulu does not have a rosy outlook. The streaming service is like a middle child in the streaming hierarchy at Disney. Disney Plus gets all the love and significant programming, while ESPN Plus is focused exclusively on sports, and then there is Hulu.
Hulu was supposed to be the place where adult programming existed, but that doesn’t seem to be the case now, as more adult fare programming can be found on Disney Plus. It still has acclaimed shows and FX programming working in its favor.
Not helping its case, though, is the fact that Hulu is only available in the US and not internationally. Disney has the Star streaming service for its international audience, which means additional growth for Hulu can only come from within the states.
More trouble is also headed Hulu’s way as it is about to lose NBCUniversal programming. NBCUniversal is moving its current-season TV show slate starting this fall to its streaming service Peacock to boost its subscription numbers.
Disney must decide whether it wants to buy the remaining 33% of Hulu, which Comcast currently holds. It bought Fox’s 33% share in 2019, giving it majority control of the streaming service.
Hulu’s days as a free-standing service could soon end as Chapek may fold it into Disney Plus.
Streaming has become an important component within the Disney universe; with ESPN and ESPN Plus’ future secured, Chapek must map out what he wants to do with Hulu.
(Front Office Sports, Sports Business Journal, CNBC)
RECAP
Janai Norman Named Weekend Co-anchor For Good Morning America
ABC News, this past week, named Janai Norman the permanent co-anchor for the weekend editions of Good Morning America. It’s a move from one end of the studio to the anchor desk for Norman as was already a regular on the morning program presenting Pop News to viewers. She started her ABC News career as an intern in 2011 with News One. Norman returned to ABC News in 2016 as a multi-platform reporter and then transitioned to an overnight anchor for World News Now and America This Morning, after which she joined the weekend edition of Good Morning America. She joins Whit Johnson and Eva Pilgrim, who, alongside their ABC News colleagues, welcomed her with open arms and presented her with a video montage of her time at the news division. (ABC News Public Relations and Janai Norman/Instagram)
Olympic Channel Flames Out After Five Years
The folks at NBCUniversal are shutting down another sports channel. After a five-year run, the Olympic Channel will see its flames extinguished on September 30. The linear channel reached 47 million homes at the end of 2021 and will see its Olympic programming move to USA Network and the Peacock streaming service. The NBC Sports Network was shuttered in late 2021 due to a reevaluated programming strategy by NBCUniversal that wanted to give its main entertainment linear cable channel and its streaming service a larger share of sports content. The Olympic Channel looks like it’s also a casualty of that decision. (Front Office Sports)
NFL Sunday Ticket Will Land On A Streaming Service This Fall
The NFL is looking for a big payday for its Sunday Ticket out-of-market games package, and the likely suitor for this package could come from Amazon, Apple, or Disney. The league is moving on from its DirecTV partnership and is seeking a payout of $2.5 billion to $3 billion per year starting this fall. Amazon and Disney already have new expensive TV rights deals with the NFL as Amazon secured the rights to showcase Thursday Night Football games on its Prime Video streaming service starting this fall at $1 billion per year. The house of Mickey is paying $2.7 billion annually to air Monday Night Football games on ESPN and ABC. Apple is the only one without an existing NFL media rights deal. Once a new home has been found, those interested in signing up for the new package should not expect a lower price offering as contractual agreements between CBS Sports and Fox Sports prevent the annual subscription cost from going below $300. (Front Office Sports)
QUICK RECAP
Former ESPN NFL reporter Hank Goldberg passes away. (ESPN)
Jon Kay and Victoria Derbyshire named to new BBC News roles. (BBC Media Centre)
Rebecca Lowe signs a new deal with NBC Sports. (Awful Announcing)
Nicol Breskin is named Vice President, Products & Strategy for ABC Entertainment and News. (TVNewser)
Peter Drury is officially named lead play-by-play commentator for NBC Sports’ Premier League coverage. (NBC Sports Group Press Box)
CNN’s Kaitlan Collins will be the 2024-2025 president of the White House Correspondents’ Association. (TVNewser)
David Helman joins Fox Sports as a Dallas Cowboys reporter. (Fox Sports PR/Twitter)
Joshua Hoyos is named New York Bureau Chief for ABC News. (TVNewser)
Olympians Ato Boldon, Sanya Richards-Ross, Kara Goucher, and Trey Hardee will serve as analysts for NBC Sports’ coverage of the 2022 World Track & Field Championships. (NBC Sports Group Press Box)
Kaylee Hartung is leaving ABC News to join Amazon Prime Video’s Thursday Night Football as a sideline reporter. (TVNewser)
BBC’s Sue Barker retires after 30 years of covering Wimbledon. (The Guardian)
Israeli gunfire likely killed Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Aqleh. (The Guardian)
ESPN’s John Clayton was honored with a t-shirt that brings attention to multiple sclerosis. (Awful Announcing)
Could former CNN anchor Chris Cuomo be making a comeback? (Broadcasting + Cable)
Too many shootings are happening in the US for the media to handle. (The Washington Post)
Netflix rolls out spatial audio globally. (Cablefax)
Japanese media goes all-in on Shinzo Abe's assassination. (Variety)
A look at Boris Johnson's departure as Prime Minister and how the British media reacted to it. (Deadline)
HBO Max earns the top spot in the 2022 streaming power rankings. (Vulture)
A look at how Formula 1 is trying to bring in more viewers by providing more data. (SVG Europe)
ESPN blocks Damien Woody’s move to Fox Sports. (New York Post)
Fox News’ Emily Compagno stands by her claim about pregnant Kenyan women being unable to vote. (The Daily Beast)
Despite the recent negative news, Netflix still has a huge cultural impact. (The Streamable)
Fox News hires a new lawyer in its Dominion Voting System legal fight. (The Hill)
Todd Piro is back on the air at Fox and Friends First after the birth of his daughter. (TVNewser)
Thursday Night Football is to be used as part of Amazon’s Prime Day push. (The Hollywood Reporter)
Former TV exec Peter Chernin believes streaming services will still be hungry for content. (The Wall Street Journal)
Warner Bros. Discovery Chief David Zaslav has high praise for CNN’s Chris Licht. (Bloomberg)
ESPN’s Chiney Ogwumike looks to be in demand when she enters media free agency. (Front Office Sports)
Mad Money with Jim Cramer is moving from New Jersey to the New York Stock Exchange. (TVNewser)
Check out the production highlights for the 2022 Women’s Euro Cup group stages. (Brandon Costa/Twitter)
Why did NBC News’ Lester Holt want to go to Highland Park, Illinois, to cover the mass shooting? (Poynter)
ESPN Films’ Dick Vitale documentary to premiere on July 20 on ESPN Plus, July 23 on ESPN. (Awful Announcing)
Warner Bros. Discovery to launch a new streaming service in France. (Television Business International)
Pac-12 to start media negotiations after the loss of UCLA and USC to the Big Ten. (Awful Announcing)
Warner Bros. Discovery to end the Cinemax streaming service in July. (The Streamable)
Peacock secures $1 billion in upfront ad commitments for 2022. (Front Office Sports)
Fox and Friends is dealing with billion-dollar lawsuits over election fraud claims. (The Guardian)
HBO Max is to stop producing originals in some parts of Europe. (Variety)
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A MarkHenry Media LLC publication - Issue #93 - 2022