ESPN’s plans for a college hoops “bubble” at Disney have been dashed; the NBA is looking at a potential December start; media companies are planning for cable subscriptions to bottom out at 50 million.
ESPN calls off bubble college hoops tourneys
As many as eight ESPN-owned men’s college basketball tournaments will not be played this year after the company abandoned plans to hold those events at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World in Florida — site of the recently-completed NBA restart, season and playoffs — due to conflicts with participating schools over COVID-19 testing requirements. Two of the tournaments, the Champions Classic and Jimmy V Classic, could still be played at a different location this season.
The tournaments were to take place in the “bubble” environment starting November 25. [The Athletic 10.26]
NBA eyeing December start, per reports
According to multiple reports last week, the NBA is now considering starting its season as soon as December 22 and playing fewer than 82 games, a move would allow the league to complete the NBA Finals by June of next year. Previous reports indicated that the league was interested in starting on Martin Luther King Day (January 18) or as late as March. The March start was predicated on the idea that a later start would leave enough time for progress against COVID-19 that fans could potentially attend games. [AP 10.23, ESPN.com 10.23, The Athletic 10.23]
Companies expect cable subscriptions to fall to 50 million
“At least” three major media companies are projecting a loss of 25 million cable subscribers in the next five years and preparing for subscriptions to eventually stabilize at just 50 million, according to CNBC. That would be less than half of the peak reached less than a decade ago, when a number of cable channels were in more than 100 million homes. [CNBC 10.24 via Sports Business Daily 10.26]
Plus: ESPN doc, MLS, NHL
ESPN announced Monday that it will air a Bill Walton-voiced, Grateful Dead-scored extreme sports film on Wednesday night. Its title, “Fire on the Mountain,” is from a Grateful Dead song. … Major League Soccer could begin its 2021 season a month later than usual, in April rather than March, according to Sports Business Journal. … The NHL is considering holding games in hub cities next season, with teams competing for up to three weeks at a time, per the New York Post. [ESPN PR 10.26, SBJ 10.26, NYP 10.24]
