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  • By Ben Thompson
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    • Email/RSS
    • @benthompson
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  • More by Ben Thompson
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Latest Podcast

  • Netflix Angst, The End of the Internet, Q&A on Meta’s VR Glasses, Anthropic Alignment, You Can See Everything

    Sharp Tech | Oct 23
    Netflix Angst, The End of the Internet, Q&A on Meta’s VR Glasses, Anthropic Alignment, You Can See Everything
Companies

ESPN

  • ESPN’s Cuts, ESPN’s History, ESPN: From Franchise to Business

    Thursday, April 27, 2017

    ESPN’s cuts are not a surprise if you understand how ESPN has made money in the past, and where it must go in the future


  • The Great Unbundling

    Wednesday, January 18, 2017

    It’s trivial to say that the Internet changed media; what is more interesting is unpacking how different types of media were affected, and why — and what might happen to TV.


  • Facebook and Twitter to Stream Conventions; ESPN Going Over-the-top, Kind-of

    Thursday, July 14, 2016

    The different approaches Facebook and Twitter are taking to the political conventions get at the differences between the two platforms; then, ESPN continues to experiment with going over-the-top


  • Brexit and Tech; More on Musk, Tesla, and Solar City; The Allure of Live: Facebook and ESPN

    Thursday, June 23, 2016

    Why Brexit would be bad for U.S. tech companies, Why Tesla May be Hurt Even if Solar City Isn’t Acquired, and the power of live for escapism and sports


  • Star Wars Grosses >$500 million, Disney: Cable or Content?, Goldman Sachs Recants on Microsoft

    Monday, December 21, 2015

    Star Wars has significantly exceeded expectations, yet Disney’s stock is down. The question is what matters: content, or cable networks? I argue it is the former, and that Disney’s future is bright.


  • Why ESPN Was Justified in Killing Grantland, Did ESPN Overpay for Sports Rights?, Disney Earnings

    Friday, November 6, 2015

    I’ve spent time on Grantland’s potential, but did ESPN really make a mistake by not taking advantage? I say no — the mistake was Grantland’s. Still, has ESPN stretched itself too thin, or might there be a method to their seeming madness when it comes to sports fees? Disney’s earnings — particularly CEO Bob Iger’s comments…


  • Grantland and the (Surprising) Future of Publishing

    Wednesday, November 4, 2015

    ESPN’s decision to close Grantland seems to be more evidence that there is no future outside of massive scale or one-man operations. Bill Simmons’ recent successes, though, suggest that the answer could be the exact opposite.


  • ESPN Follow-up, BAM Tech and Bundle Logic, No Apple MVNO and the Apple TV

    Thursday, August 6, 2015

    A follow-up to my piece on ESPN


  • Why Disney and ESPN Will Be OK

    Wednesday, August 5, 2015

    An increasing number of questions are being raised about the future of the pay-TV bundle, and of ESPN. The former may indeed be doomed, but that doesn’t mean the latter is in as much trouble as people think: after all, Disney is the master of differentiated content.


  • Correcting the Netflix Story, ESPN’s Challenge — and Opportunity, Yahoo to Stream NFL Game

    Tuesday, July 14, 2015

    My Netflix chart from Netflix and the Conservation of Attractive Profits wasn’t quite right: after all, I was talking about time, and networks and studios are already modularized. Still, fixing my error provides an interesting view on ESPN and its challenges and opportunities.


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Updates

  • Sharp Tech on Video: Netflix Angst, the End of the Internet, and Meta’s VR Glasses

    Friday, October 23, 2026
  • An Interview with Craig Moffett About SpaceX and Bubbles

    Thursday, October 22, 2026
  • Netflix Earnings, Business or Franchise, Disney’s Deal

    Wednesday, October 21, 2026
View All

Stratechery Plus

Podcasts

  • Netflix Angst, The End of the Internet, Q&A on Meta’s VR Glasses, Anthropic Alignment, You Can See Everything

    Sharp Tech | Oct 23
    Netflix Angst, The End of the Internet, Q&A on Meta’s VR Glasses, Anthropic Alignment, You Can See Everything
  • The Duo Review

    Dithering | Oct 23
    The Duo Review
  • Aday Mara and the OKC Woodchipper, An Emergency Celtics Panic Watch, Silver Appreciation(???) and Laker Dreams

    Greatest Of All Talk | Oct 21
    Aday Mara and the OKC Woodchipper, An Emergency Celtics Panic Watch, Silver Appreciation(???) and Laker Dreams

Stratechery Plus

Interviews

  • An Interview with Craig Moffett About SpaceX and Bubbles

    Thursday, October 22, 2026
  • A Conversation With Ari Emanuel About Entertainment and AI

    Thursday, October 15, 2026
  • An Interview with Katie Harbath About Disrupting Politics at Facebook

    Thursday, October 8, 2026
View All

Sharp Text

Articles

  • You Can See Everything (And It’s a Great Time)
    Friday, October 23, 2026
  • A Wizards Public Service Announcement and 18 More NBA Takes
    Friday, October 16, 2026
  • Friends Without Benefits
    Friday, October 9, 2026
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More by Ben Thompson

Year in Review

The most popular and most important posts on Stratechery by year.

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All Articles

Explore all free articles on Stratechery.

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All Content

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Stratechery Plus

UpdateS

  • Sharp Tech on Video: Netflix Angst, the End of the Internet, and Meta’s VR Glasses

    Friday, October 23, 2026
  • An Interview with Craig Moffett About SpaceX and Bubbles

    Thursday, October 22, 2026
  • Netflix Earnings, Business or Franchise, Disney’s Deal

    Wednesday, October 21, 2026
View All

Stratechery Plus

Podcasts

  • Netflix Angst, The End of the Internet, Q&A on Meta’s VR Glasses, Anthropic Alignment, You Can See Everything

    Sharptech | Oct 23
    Netflix Angst, The End of the Internet, Q&A on Meta’s VR Glasses, Anthropic Alignment, You Can See Everything
  • The Duo Review

    Dithering | Oct 23
    The Duo Review
  • Aday Mara and the OKC Woodchipper, An Emergency Celtics Panic Watch, Silver Appreciation(???) and Laker Dreams

    Greatest Of All Talk | Oct 21
    Aday Mara and the OKC Woodchipper, An Emergency Celtics Panic Watch, Silver Appreciation(???) and Laker Dreams

Stratechery Plus

Interviews

  • An Interview with Craig Moffett About SpaceX and Bubbles

    Thursday, October 22, 2026
  • A Conversation With Ari Emanuel About Entertainment and AI

    Thursday, October 15, 2026
  • An Interview with Katie Harbath About Disrupting Politics at Facebook

    Thursday, October 8, 2026
View All

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