Why Doesn't Disney Sell a Stand-alone Streaming Version of ESPN?
Four years ago, a consumer survey performed by BTIG Research found that as much as people love to watch sports, most weren't willing to pay the $20 a month the company would possibly have to charge for a streaming version of sports programming powerhouse ESPN. The analysis questioned the viability of ESPN being launched as an online service akin to Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX). The United States' cable industry lost on the order of 14 million paying customers, the streaming video industry exploded, and the world's TV watchers started to use higher-priced, on-demand options as a replacement for traditional cable service.
