Sports TV News
5 Reasons Why ESPN Terminated Grantland
Published
8 years agoon
ESPN chose a Friday afternoon to pull the plug on Grantland, an esoteric offshoot site created for former ESPN personality Bill Simmons that mixed high-minded sports commentary with pop culture.
The demise of Grantland, at just 4 years old, was not difficult to forecast, yet it landed as a shock to its many fans and, perhaps more tellingly, among legions of journalists. For many, it was unfair that a huge media conglomerate like ESPN would axe a lively site that jazzed up sports journalism, which tends too often to be either breathlessly hyperbolic or get-off-my-lawn stodgy.
Grantland’s demise says a lot about the current state of media.
Grantland was tiny.
For all the lamentations of Grantland’s demise, the site never had a very big audience. Despite prominent placement on the ESPN homepage and plugs from the megawatt celebrity of Simmons, Grantland never reached more than 7 million unique visitors, according to comScore. That’s about 7.5 percent of ESPN’s overall digital traffic. For a site with over 25 staffers, that’s very small in a time when big can be very big.
Internal politics suck.
The divorce of Simmons and ESPN was anything but harmonious. Despite claiming in May to being “committed to Grantland,” ESPN president John Skipper decided otherwise. Grantland, despite the team Simmons left in place, was destined to be seen as a Simmons vehicle within ESPN, where clearly no love was lost for Simmons, who subsequently decamped for an HBO show and promptly began poaching a half dozen Grantland staffers.
Personal brand vehicles are risky.
Grantland would not have existed if not for Bill Simmons. It was created as part of his last contract negotiation with ESPN. The site never felt fully integrated within ESPN, operating as a semi-autonomous region within the ESPN empire. Its identity was inevitably wrapped up around the gigantic personality of Simmons, which combined with ESPN’s patrimony gave it a big leg up.
But sites tied to journalistic starpower, particularly individuals with strong personalities, have mixed records. First Look Media found that out the hard way with The Racket, a muckraking site created for former Rolling Stone writer Matt Taibbi. The site never launched, scrapped last year after an acrimonious divorce between Taibbi and First Look.
“Obviously Simmons was a major tentpole to that brand,” said Jason Kint, CEO of Digital Content Next and a former CBS Sports exec. “There is no reason that ESPN can’t and won’t continue to do the same deeper storytelling on its flagship brand rather than sending users elsewhere.”
Pet project sites are hard to justify these days.
Grantland, by all accounts, was not a huge moneymaker. It may or may not have eked out a profit, an impressive feat for a young site that kept ad placements to a minimum. According to Vanity Fair, Grantland brought in $6 million last year, which is miniscule for an operation like ESPN which throws off over $1 billion in operating income last year. As Deep Focus CEO Ian Schafer told Digiday in May, Grantland was a “distant priority” for ESPN. Those are the kinds of things that get chopped during tough times.
In days past, this would be considered a rounding error for a well-heeled media entity like ESPN. But thanks to a combination of skyrocketing costs for live sporting events contracts and the trials and tribulations of cable networks, ESPN is in belt-tightening mode. Just this week, ESPN cut 300 staffers, in a move that Sports Business Daily said left many “incredulous that a company rife with cash would have to lay off so many good people.” In such times, it’s hard to justify a side project whose sole reason for existence is no longer at the company.
Grantland was neither mass nor focused.
Grantland was conceived as an idiosyncratic endeavor, where movie critiques could live alongside an analysis of that weekend’s NFL matchups. The world of media, however, is bifurcating. On one end are mass sites like BuzzFeed, Huffington Post and Vox. On the other side are narrowly focused destinations producing unique content for a specific audience. The former can survive on commodity at rates because of their scale. The latter can command a premium because of their specialization. Grantland was somewhere in between.
Read more at Digiday which is where this article was originally published
Jason Barrett is the owner and operator of Barrett Sports Media. Prior to launching BSM he served as a sports radio programmer, launching brands such as 95.7 The Game in San Francisco and 101 ESPN in St. Louis. He has also produced national shows for ESPN Radio including GameNight and the Dan Patrick Show. You can find him on Twitter @SportsRadioPD or reach him by email at [email protected].
Sports TV News
TNT Sports Registers Average of 4 Million Viewers Across NBA Play-In Tournament Doubleheader
As a whole, the two games averaged 4 million viewers across TNT, truTV and the B/R Sports Add-On, which is up 37% from 2023.
Published
11 hours agoon
April 17, 2024By
BSM Staff
The Western Conference slate of games within the National Basketball Association Play-In Tournament included plenty of star power and provided many exciting moments concurrent with the implications of the matchups. TNT Sports’ NBA on TNT provided coverage of the contests, the first of which squared the No. 7 New Orleans Pelicans against the No. 8 Los Angeles Lakers. Forward LeBron James and center Anthony Davis led the Lakers to a 110-106 victory in a game that an average of 3.91 million viewers watched across TNT and truTV.
The second game of the night featured the No. 9 Sacramento Kings against the No. 10 Golden State Warriors that measured an average audience size of 4.05 million viewers. Stephen Curry and the Warriors were eliminated after losing the contest 118-94, officially leading to a Friday night game between the Pelicans and Kings with the final conference playoff spot hanging in the balance. That matchup will be broadcast on TNT with tip off scheduled for approximately 9:30 a.m. EST from Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, Calif.
As a whole, the two games averaged 4 million viewers across TNT, truTV and the B/R Sports Add-On, which is up 37% from 2023. The Pelicans-Lakers game – broadcast by play-by-play announcer Kevin Harlan, analyst Reggie Miller and reporter Allie LaForce – was the third most-watched play-in game ever and up 74% over last year’s game between the Atlanta Hawks and Miami Heat.
Additionally, the Kings-Warriors game – broadcast by play-by-play announcer Brian Anderson, analyst Stan Van Gundy and reporter Chris Haynes – was the second most-watched play-in game ever and up 17% over last year when the Minnesota Timberwolves faced the Los Angeles Lakers. TNT was also the most-viewed network in prime-time television on Tuesday night among Persons 18-34, Persons 18-49 and Persons 25-54.
Jon Lewis of Sports Media Watch reports that the games rank fourth and sixth on the full season, four of which have included the Los Angeles Lakers. The Warriors have played in three of the six highest-rated NBA games in the season. Both contests also averaged a 1.5 rating among adults 18-49, which tripled the prime time broadcast of FBI on CBS. The only NBA Play-In Tournament game to top Tuesday night’s doubleheader was the Warriors and Lakers matchup in 2021 on ESPN, which averaged a total of 5.62 million viewers and ended in 103-100 Lakers victory.
Sports TV News
Bill Belichick Co-Hosting ‘The Pat McAfee Show Draft Spectacular’ Next Thursday
“It’ll be fun to be in Detroit, be with you guys and get your expertise.”
Published
12 hours agoon
April 17, 2024By
BSM Staff
Former New England Patriots general manager and head coach Bill Belichick will join The Pat McAfee Show for its Draft Spectacular simulcast taking place next Thursday. The fifth annual edition of the broadcast will take place live from the NFL Draft in Detroit, Mich. and feature Belichick, appearing on the show to provide his insights and analysis surrounding the draft selections.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Belichick said. “Draft day; draft weekend is always an exciting time for everybody – for the teams that are building their teams and for the fans and for everybody involved in it – so it’s a great event and I’m looking forward to seeing it from the other side. It’ll be fun to be in Detroit, be with you guys and get your expertise.”
Earlier on Wednesday, ESPN reporters Don Van Natta Jr., Seth Wickersham and Jeremy Fowler released an article detailing how Belichick was unable to land a head coaching job after he and the Patriots officially parted ways. Belichick is third on the all-time wins list among NFL head coaches and helped the Patriots attain six Super Bowl championships over his 24-year tenure with the organization. The report also divulged that Belichick is expected to sign a deal with Omaha Productions to provide analysis and is interested in potentially coaching either the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles or New York Giants.
Within his interview with The Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday, Belichick discussed how teams go about preparing for the NFL Draft and the strategy behind the process. Ahead of the broadcast next week, he is watching film to get ready for the broadcast, which will air live on ESPN+, the ESPN App, YouTube and TikTok next Thursday starting at 8 p.m. EST.
Coverage of the 2024 NFL Draft on ESPN and ABC will include several network hosts, analysts, reporters and insiders including Mike Greenberg, Rece Davis, Laura Rutledge, Kirk Herbstreit, Adam Schefter, Mel Kiper Jr., Molly McGrath and Field Yates. Former Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban will also make his debut on College GameDay on ESPN and the ABC broadcast of the NFL Draft. ESPN and ABC will present NFL Draft broadcasts on Thursday at 8 p.m. EST and Friday at 7 p.m. EST, which will span the first three rounds of the event. The final four rounds taking place on Saturday will include the ABC broadcast team on ESPN.
Sports TV News
Pat McAfee to Caitlin Clark: “Can’t Wait to See Where Women’s Basketball Goes”
“I feel like I always had super big goals and dreams and aspirations, but at the same time, this is a place that women’s basketball has really never been before, so no, I never really imagined it on this magnitude.”
Published
15 hours agoon
April 17, 2024By
BSM Staff
The 2024 WNBA Draft on ESPN attained record levels of viewership, amassing an average audience of 2.45 million viewers for this edition of the event. Iowa guard Caitlin Clark was selected No. 1 overall by the Indiana Fever, a selection that will see her team with last year’s first-overall pick Aliyah Boston to try and lead the organization to a league championship. Following an opening press conference from Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind. on Wednesday morning, Clark made an in-studio appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on ESPN where they discussed her time on the Iowa Hawkeyes and her transition from the NCAA to the WNBA.
Clark, the all-time scoring leader for NCAA Division I Basketball, led Iowa to a second-consecutive National Championship Game. Viewership for the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Tournament broke several records, including averaging 18.1 million viewers during the championship game between Iowa and South Carolina. Clark responded to a question about whether the outcome playing out was how she envisioned her college career and transition to the WNBA concluding.
“I feel like I always had super big goals and dreams and aspirations, but at the same time, this is a place that women’s basketball has really never been before, so no, I never really imagined it on this magnitude,” Clark said. “But also I’ve always been a supporter of women’s basketball; it’s always been something I’ve loved ever since a young age.”
Clark explained that she was hoping the Indiana Fever would win the WNBA Draft Lottery to gain the first overall selection in the WNBA Draft. She is excited to remain in the midwest and learn from her teammates, coaches and alumni, including Hall of Fame forward and former league MVP Tamika Catchings. Through it all, she will try to remain grounded and focus on making meaningful contributions to the Fever and league as a whole.
“I think where the magnitude of everything’s gone, I feel like I’ve tried to stay right in the middle,” Clark said. “One of the best pieces of advice that somebody gave me is like, ‘At the level you feel all the praise, that’s the same level you’ll feel all the hate,’ so I try to stay right in the middle. It doesn’t really bother me – I think it’s just what comes with it, and growing up, my mom always said, ‘People want to see you fail.’ That’s just kind of how our world is, which is really sad, but at the same time, I don’t think about that type of stuff.”
Show host Pat McAfee expressed that women’s college basketball has been phenomenal to watch over the last several years with the talent and storylines therein. In discussing the growth of the game, he wanted to know whether Clark perceived there to be an onus on her to bring women’s basketball to another level. Viewership of the WNBA last season reached over 36 million viewers across all national networks and was up 21% year-over-year. Moreover, the WNBA Finals on ESPN between the Las Vegas Aces and New York Liberty averaged 728,000 viewers, marking the most-watched edition of the league championship in 20 years.
“I don’t feel like any pressure to take it to a place it’s never been before,” Clark responded. “I think that’s just going to happen with the way we’re on TV more; with the way people are following from the college game to the WNBA.”
At the conclusion of the interview, McAfee hit a long-distance shot from the stage of his set to give away four season tickets to the Indiana Fever. The team plays its first game on Tuesday, May 14 against the Connecticut Sun, which will be televised on ESPN2 at 7:30 p.m. EST. Thirty-six of the 40 Indiana Fever games will be broadcast by a national television platform, including eight on linear channels owned by The Walt Disney Company (ESPN, ABC, ESPN2).
“Caitlin, I just want to let you know we’ve all been incredibly lucky to kind of watch this all take place,” McAfee said. “Can’t wait to see what you do at the W, can’t wait to see where women’s basketball goes, and thank you for getting somebody like me into the sport because it is an awesome, awesome sport, and the future is only bright, especially in this city.”
