Media Content Analysis of Espn Essay

ESPN demonstrates how a monopoly whole works in the contemporary media adorn, a landscape in which the cost of information is fall and the necessity of diversified revenue streams is increasing. By distributing discipline crosswise multiple platforms, similar their website, their television programs, their magazine and their mobile applications, ESPN maintains a steady position as the attraction in sports news.No competitor has managed to fringe ESPN off its horse, primarily because ESPN can bid practically any otherwise vane or media group for subject matter. The media groups of individual sports leagues selfsame(prenominal) Major League Baseball fuck off an interesting threat to ESPN. These groups develop their stimulate earningss designed to produce field for iodin sport only, exchangeable baseball. Theyre subject of offering products that ESPN cant collect to the amount and variation of national that ESPN covers. fortuitously for ESPN, the idea of partnering and revenue sharing is challenge to these meshs due to ESPNs wide audition base. What makes ESPN special is their ability to deliver a set of experiences that other networks can non compete with. When mental object becomes homogenous between networks, its the availability and delivery of the content that makes a difference, and rightfield now, no unmatched delivers sports news deal ESPN. In todays media landscape, its extremely difficult to dominate a market. Its difficult to even d well up solvent for many news organizations.Bankruptcy, or the threat of bankruptcy, haunts just somewhat both major newspaper in the country, including the cabbage Tribune, who filed for Chapter 11 at the end of 2008. permeate sense of hearings in secretive large cities argon divided up among the big network affiliates wish well ABC, NBC and FOX, and magazine subscriptions and revenues continue to decline. in spite of uncertain quantifys, one media group maintains a monopoly on their market. Often referred to as a cartel, Entertainment and Sports Programming Network (ESPN) has rule the sports media industry across multiple platforms for decades. app atomic number 18ntly al instructions multiple steps in advance of their largest competitors, CBS and NBC Sports, ESPN has developed mobile apps, a network of television conduct, a documentary serial publication and other headmaster content that exclusively overwhelms their audience. Being the Worldwide Leader in Sports comes with its criticisms, of course. ESPN is often accused of biased inform and engaging in conflicts of interest, notably, their development of the farsightedhorn Network with the University of Texas. Regardless, consumers turn to ESPN for sports news and content.In their mission statement, they say they endeavor To manage sports fans wher constantly sports are watched, listened to, discussed, debated, read about or played, and that People are our most valuable resource, and care and respe ct for employees and individually other result always be at the heart of our operations. ESPN is in the droll position of cosmos the peoples champion of the sports media landscape. Since its inception in family of 1979, ESPN has appealed to consumers on a more than conversational, attractive level than most other sports outlets or media organizations.The network has developed personalities like Chris baby boomer Berman and Stuart Scott who involve their audience by compounding references to pop-culture with sports. As a head, ESPN has developed as an incredibly strong brand, kn let for being cool. Competitors like CBS and NBC Sports are certainly well established brands of their own, but their brands arent as hip as ESPN. By generating cross-platform content with ESPN the Magazine, ESPN. com and the more recent ESPN ScoreCenter mobile app, ESPN has shape up the sports media landscape to their liking, dictating how information is disseminated. date ESPN has done an amazing job up until now, they face the danger of losing specialize audiences to channels like the MLB Network and NFL Network who siphon off off consumers with very specific sports interests. With companies like Major League Baseball go on Media (BAM) pioneering new applications like MLB at flitter and inking new television deals that revolutionize the way baseball fans follow the national pastime, ESPN has to be c erstwhilerned. Its unlikely ESPN will ever lose all of their broadcasting rights to MLB impales, their audience is just too large, but once more baseball fans realize their interests faculty be better served with MLB. om and the MLB Network, ESPN could jar against declines in ratings and viewership to programming like.Sunday Night Baseball. In order to prevent that, ESPN has to consider mergers and collaborations. go the MLB might not be interested, yet, ESPN has already reached out to the NFL Network about the surmise of combining their ESPN Classics channel with the NFL Network. By doing so, the long arm of ESPN could bolster viewership and the specialized content of the NFL Network could expand advertising revenues.Whether a similar deal could be make with the MLB Network, which, as the MLBAM case study stated, is the silver standard among sports leagues, is uncertain, but often these specialized networks see themselves as broadcast partners, not competitors of ESPN. By Harold Vogels own comment in his text Entertainment sedulousness Economics A Guide for fiscal Analysis, ESPN is a monopoly. There are no close substitutes for their output, they set prices, and there are barriers that prevent potential competitors from entering the market.In an member that appeared in the Sports Business daybook Daily in 2009 entitled intentness wonders who will challenge ESPN, staff generator John Ourand says that if a competitor were to emerge, they would consent to do it between 2011 and 2014, when many of the major sports leagues TV deals expire. Re gardless of expiration dates, ESPN is undetermined of outbidding just about anyone when it comes to content packages. They outbid FOX by $100 one million million in 2009 to secure the rights to the College Football trough Series through 2014. ESPNs ground on the sports media landscape is intimidating.Effectively, ESPN has constructed barriers to entry because no one is capable of competing with them on the same level across multiple platforms. Additionally, theyre usually willing to share revenues with other networks if it means increased viewership on their own channels. Vogel defines entertainment as that which produces a acceptable and satisfying experience and cites Becker (1965) and DeSerpa (1971) for suggesting that the demand for empty is affected in a multiform way by the cost of time both to produce and to consume.ESPN does a rattling(a) job maximizing the return on the amount of time spent devour their products. It takes a mere moment to interest the final score of the Chicago Bulls game via the ScoreCenter app. It takes just minutes to read an article about the game on ESPN. com and a consumer can spend upwards of 30 minutes watching SportsCenter where they can see highlights of the game and hear an analysis of it. In chapter two of Vogels text, it is explained that statistical distribution indicator trumps control of content The crush content in the world is not deserving nything if it cannot be made readily operational to audiences. So, what is the result of the strongest distribution power and the best content in the world? The result is ESPN, a monopoly. The breakdown of gatekeeping that has affected so many media companies hasnt resulted in a loss of control or advantageousness for ESPN. Instead, ESPN has embraced the greater empowerment of the user that Vogels speaks of. Increased participation, engagement, connectivity, customization, personalization and collaboration between users and the content ESPN creates has actually hel ped ESPN maintain and grow their audience. viewing audience now send in videos to SportsCenter that are considered for segments like the Top 10 and the not Top 10, which highlight the best and mop up of the week in sports. SportsCenter, ESPN. com and some of their pilot programming like SportsNation rely hard on audience polls. SportsNation, in grouchy, is a program almost completely devote to polling fans about topics like the best lance dunks, touchdowns, even the best athletes beard (James Harden, Oklahoma City Thunder).By engaging their viewers, ESPN continues to improve the user experience, which Vogel explains is what media companies are actually selling, a set of experiences. reverie sports are another experience ESPN is stressful to sell. ESPNs biggest competitor in the fondness sports market is Yahoo. It is one frontier where ESPN hasnt completely dominated, but that doesnt mean theyre not trying. conjuration Sports are now incorporated into their original program ming, giving the average player insights as to who to start and who to bench for a particular game.Its just one more way for ESPN to engage their audience and qualify the digital distribution of their products. I infer ESPN is an exemplary media content producer. In fact, I aspire to work for them one day. I acknowledge the potential issues associated with being considered a cartel, but I subscribe to the intuitive feeling that if you cant beat them, wed them. Im not completely convinced of their biased reporting, either. ESPN employs a respective(a) variety of reporters who frequently disagree with one another. Additionally, they have provided a platform for feminine reporters pioneering their way into sports journalism.The latest irritations from viewers cast around over-reporting of certain topics, like Tim Tebow and Jeremy Lin. I personally dont mind. ESPN does an minute job engaging their viewers, diversifying content across multiple platforms, and embracing and moneti zing digital distribution of information. I do think a competitor or two will come along in the near future, but I dont think the downfall of ESPN is in anywhere in sight. Viewers love ESPN because it feels like home, and no one is ready to scat just yet.