Sports
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Formula 1 has done an impressive job earning fans; the NBA should study it, because the pay TV bundle is slowly disintegrating
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The Big Ten’s recent expansion is being blamed on Fox and ESPN, but it is actually an example of content extracting maximum value through consolidation
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Ratings are down for the Olympics, which could be bad news not only for TV but industries everywhere.
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Why ESPN Was Justified in Killing Grantland, Did ESPN Overpay for Sports Rights?, Disney Earnings
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…
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Jack Dorsey Named Twitter CEO, The Problem With Daily Fantasy
It took only a few hours for the first concerning response to the announcement of Jack Dorsey as CEO, and it came from his old adversary Ev Williams. Then, Daily Fantasy has a real scandal on its hands, but the implications of that scandal are the opposite of what most think about Daily Fantasy.
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Ballmer’s Bad Bundle Economics, Netflix Loses Epix Movie Deal
The Daily Update is back with a renewed focus on streaming, bundling, and over-the-top offerings. First up is an analysis of Steve Ballmer’s rumored plans to launch an over-the-top network for Clippers games, and more broadly, a discussion about why bundling works. Then, Netflix loses movies, but it’s the content companies that are losing more from…
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Amazon Continued and the Role of Journalism, Three Streaming Developments: HBO, Amazon Prime, and ESPN
The Amazon story continues, and it is striking how there is zero common ground between people who work in tech and the journalists who cover it. Will this mark a shift in the relationship? Plus, what HBO’s Sesame Street deal, Amazon’s Top Gear deal, and NBC’s Premier League deal say about the future of streaming.
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ESPN Follow-up, BAM Tech and Bundle Logic, No Apple MVNO and the Apple TV
A follow-up to my piece on ESPN
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Why Disney and ESPN Will Be OK
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.
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Correcting the Netflix Story, ESPN’s Challenge — and Opportunity, Yahoo to Stream NFL Game
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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Daily Update: Was I Wrong About Cyanogen?, Weekly Wrap-Up
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Daily Update: Amazon and the Opportunity Cost of Losing Focus, Sling TV and The Interview Follow-up, Samsung’s Bad yet Good Earnings


