David Samson dismisses Bob Iger’s comments on ESPN DTC bundling other sports channels

It’s an open secret that in an ideal world, Disney and ESPN would love to be the hub for all live sports, period. And with the launch of its highly anticipated ESPN direct-to-consumer product just over one week away, there has never been more opportunity for the network to become the sports hub it dreams of.

During an investors call last week, Disney CEO Bob Iger discussed the possibility of hosting live sports from other networks on the ESPN platform, with the goal of making this new product a one-stop shop for all live sports programming, regardless of where it’s airing.

But one former sports executive-turned-media commentator thinks that’s some pie in the sky thinking from Disney’s head honcho. Former Miami Marlins president David Samson, who now hosts the Nothing Personal podcast for Meadowlark Media, laughed off Iger’s remarks, questioning how this type of platform would differ from the cable bundle, while also raising regulatory concerns about multiple media companies all getting in bed together for such a product to be feasible.

@nothingpersonal.npds Will the new ESPN service merge other networks games? 👀 Bob Iger is making BIG moves with ESPN! #espn #disney #bobiger ♬ original sound – Nothing Personal Podcast

“Bob Iger said, ESPN may bundle sports from other platforms onto ESPN. Does that not sound like cable to you? Is it happening?” Samson questioned. “Do we think that there are other platforms, let’s just take Warner Bros. Discovery. Do you think that with all the new sports they got … they’re going to call Bob Iger and say, ‘I’ve got a plan.’ I will license my sports so that you can have a side-by-side on your ESPN DTC so when, for $29.99 a month, they can get what you have ESPN and they can get what we have if you give me $3.99 for every single customer.

“Does this now sound exactly like the regional sports situation? When regional sorts networks were on all the cable providers and getting paid so much money because the cable providers needed content because you were a cable subscriber and for $250 a month, you wanted to get as many channels as you could. And then you said to yourself, ‘Wait a second, I don’t watch all those channels. I don’t want to pay for them.’

“[Iger] said, quote, ‘We believe there may be opportunities for us to bundle other companies’ sports offerings. We’ve actually had discussions with other companies to do just that.’ Antitrust alert! Antitrust alert!” Samson said as he mimicked police sirens. “Bundling on ESPN, give me a small break.”

Samson brings up a strong point with the antitrust concerns. It was this time last year when the now dead-upon-arrival Venu Sports joint venture was facing significant antitrust scrutiny. That, of course, never got off the ground. This type of relationship between networks is functionally the same, where content owners like ESPN, Fox, CBS, etc. — all working together — could theoretically price gouge consumers if a “hub” for live sports ever reached a critical mass of subscribers.

Unfortunately, that doesn’t leave any easy answers. From a consumer perspective, fans simply want an easy way to find all of their live sports, preferably without needing to switch platforms and apps. And if regulators won’t let media companies work together in a Venu-esque fashion, consumers will continue to be reliant on distributors like Comcast, DirecTV, or YouTube TV to bundle content together.

While that could stymie any theoretical price-gouging in the long-term, it complicates lives for consumers now as they continue to rely on distributors, rather than content providers, if they want an all-in-one bundle.

So Iger’s vision of attracting other owners of live sports content onto his platform sounds nice in theory, but it has plenty of hurdles to clear before ever becoming a reality. Before any regulatory concerns even come into play, Iger would have to convince other media companies to voluntarily license their most valuable content over to their biggest competitor, ESPN. That alone seems unlikely.

But, hey, it’s a nice thing for Iger to bring up on an investor call, where details and logistics can often take a backseat to talking points.