bthomas98 said:
agproducer said:
Get back to the highlights. Drop the fluff and time-wasting elements. Get back to catering to hardcore sports viewer.
This is part of it, but also the ability to have score, stats and top plays for your favorite team right on your phone also killed them. I would tune into the 10pm Sportscenter every night just to wait for certain scores, now I just have to check the phone.
The accessiblity of mobile phones and highlights has hurt their viewership. They've done a "meh" job of linking tv and their web site. IMO, both entities should be working to supplement each other -- not push independent content. I'll echo what another poster said here that you watch SC to see what's up with the leagues as a whole and see players you aren't familiar with. ESPN doesn't let you do that anymore with all the extra fluff.
I used to work with a guy who worked on SC for a few years. Their directive was to find the "story" in every game -- not just the highlights. That's why you see highlight packages that have themes to them, and you end up missing out on what really happened.
Right now in sports, it seems the network that is doing thing right is MLB Network. They focus on the highlights, the live look-ins, and use their talent wisely. Check out MLB Tonight, MLB Whiparound and Quick Pitch.
ESPN used to do really well for highlights. 15 years ago, Baseball Tonight was the show to watch. It was a frantic 1-hour through baseball highlights and live look-ins. It was a show I dreamed of producing because of the breaking and live elements. Now, it's too much analysis, too many experts. The focus should be on the highlights with thoughtful analysis.