[quote name='crunchewy']If you have a TV package, then why wouldn't you just watch ESPN via that? It makes no sense to me. The only reason to have a WatchESPN app would be to allow you to pay for ESPN separate from cable. I'd love that and would happily pay a reasonable fee to get ESPN. Some day, maybe.[/QUOTE]
nothing you can do about it. the media conglomerates are bound to each other.
everyone knows how valuable sports are and how expensive they are. ABC definitely knows how valuable ESPN is and charges appropriately. But for ABC to charge what they charge for ESPN, they have to make the cable and TV providers happy as well. Because if cable/TV providers are going to pay so much for the channel, but if people are going to cut the cord anyway because of other ways to watch it, why would the cable/TV providers pay those fees? So to keep those people subscribed, ABC is going to have to eliminate those people who are getting a free ride.
ABC/ESPN would love to be able to charge you for ESPN access. But the media companies that pay ABC so much money to have it on their cable channels completely balk on that idea.
most channels average around 20 cents a subscriber per month. The Food Network gets 8 cents, for example. Nickelodeon is the top rated network and gets 44 cents.
Then you look at ESPN/ESPN2 which gets over $5 per subscriber per month. That means out of all the thousands or hundreds of channels you have, ESPN alone makes up 20% of programming costs. If you want to cut the cord, your cable provider will complain that they're paying 20% of their entire budget on 2 channels which means something has to give.
It's shocking how expensive sports is. ESPN is over $5. the next is Fox Sports which is about $2.75. then the third most expensive channel is TNT at 99 cents.
you, the sports fan, made ESPN what it is today. you have to live with that.