ESPN, a longtime cornerstone of the Walt Disney Co., continues to lose lucrative pay-TV distribution, shrinking another 10% to end fiscal 2021 at 76 million U.S.
households.Disney provided the number as part of its annual report, filed with the SEC this afternoon. The company operates on a fiscal year, so its 2021 officially ended on October 2.The company’s estimate, which it said includes traditional MVPDs and most digital OTT packages, is well below ESPN’s peak of just north of 100 million homes nearly a decade ago.
While all linear TV networks are shedding subscribers due to cord-cutting and growing tension with distributors over carriage fees, the ESPN number has become a bellwether.
Read more on deadline.com