What is TV’s endgame?
Summary
This episode delves into the ongoing erosion of the traditional pay TV business, a decade after its decline was first acknowledged. Rich Greenfield analyzes the strategies of major players like Paramount under new ownership, ESPN's standalone streaming launch, and Fox's unique approach with Fox One. The discussion also covers the challenges of selling ailing cable networks and the impact of antitrust concerns and political factors on potential media mergers, emphasizing the industry's struggle to find a sustainable path forward in the streaming era.Episode description
A decade ago, Disney CEO Bob Iger freaked out the media industry by acknowledging something many of us saw coming — his previously unassailable TV business was starting to erode.
But even with a 10-year warning, today’s moguls seem unable to cope
with 2025’s reality: The pay TV business is permanently eroding, and there’s nothing in its place that’s likely to generate the same kind of revenue and profit.
But the people who run Big TV are trying to find answers, anyway. So I asked Lightshed analyst Rich Greenfield to talk through some of their moves. What will David and Larry Ellison do once they finally buy Paramount? What are the prospects for ESPN’s soon-to-launch streamer? What about Fox’s soon-to-launch streamer? Who’s going to buy all of these ailing cable TV networks that are coming on the market? And what kind of deals - if any - can get done in the Trump 2.0 era?
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