I agree with all this. Except, I think the move away from cable will accelerate and then basically come to a screeching halt. I think we're 30 years from cable programming going away completely.
I think that’s true, I think there’s a certain amount of attrition that will only happen through natural causes, as it were. No reason for ESPN and all to STOP putting sports on those channels too for people, just have to find a profitable way to move away from exclusivity.
Honestly it could be good for ESPN and by extension the ACC (and SEC) - the B1G/Fox/NBC are all fairly behind on their digital stuff in comparison with Disney, and is much more of a one-league-show.
I don’t think it could be good for the ACC without being also good for the SEC, which is fine I guess, but I’m getting increasingly hesitant about the Big 10 strategy the more I look into the numbers.
(There’s probably a scenario where that “national footprint” idea for the B1G works out, though. Maybe a GT addition doesn’t bring a ton of new subscribers today in a direct to consumer streaming package, but if you want to be THE league, you have to plan for growth too. You gotta get more handholds in more population centers where you can grow your audience. It’s not about how many new subcriber GT brings today, it’s about total subscriber potential in ten, twenty years vs not expanding.)