ESPN Lays Off 30 Employees Six Months After YouTube TV Blackout
The ramifications of Disney’s carriage dispute with YouTube TV last month are still being felt, especially by ESPN employees.
The Worldwide Leader in Sports laid off 30 employees yesterday after experiencing an “unexpected drop” in revenue.
According to a report from Puck’s John Ourand, the latest round of ESPN job cuts is tied to the Disney-YouTube carriage dispute, which saw all Mouse House-owned channels go dark for 15 days last November.
Photo: YouTube
The blackout reportedly cost ESPN nearly $100 million.
The Layoffs Affected Off-Camera Employees
While ESPN has yet to officially comment on the latest layoffs, the expectation is that they will primarily affect off-camera employees.
The Worldwide Leader is no stranger to cuts, having undergone multiple rounds of job eliminations over the past eighteen months.
ESPN Continues to Navigate a Changing Media Environment
In an ever-changing media environment, ESPN has done a solid job of repositioning itself and staying flexible.
Photo: ESPN
Between the launch of ESPN Unlimited and the network’s integration into Disney+, the premier name in sports media now has a significant streaming presence.
As today’s news underscores, however, ESPN’s bread and butter is still cable. As margins continue to tighten and more consumers cut the cord, the network can ill afford extended blackouts like the one it experienced last November.
Photo: ESPN
Unfortunately, because of that standoff, 30 employees are now out of a job.
As always, be sure to check back with MickeyBlog. We will continue to update you on all the news coming out of ESPN.
Photo: MickeyBlog
