ESPN reportedly planning another round of layoffs, including on-air talent

ESPN is reportedly preparing for another round of layoffs, and this time on-camera talent are said to be at risk.

The news comes from a report by Ryan Glasspiegel at Front Office Sports. ESPN already conducted a round of layoffs this spring, letting about 30 off-camera workers go.

The earlier round of ESPN layoffs was part of a much larger round at Disney that primarily affected employees in the “experiences division,” which includes Disney’s theme parks and cruise lines. About 1,000 people were laid off.

Dade Hayes at Deadline reported earlier in May that Disney was considering more layoffs.

Glasspiegel reports that these upcoming layoffs are expected to affect both on- and off-air talent. It’s unknown whether these layoffs will impact other non-ESPN employees at Disney.

The reported layoffs come months after ESPN completed its acquisition of NFL Network. All former NFL Network employees are now employed by ESPN.

Glasspiegel speculates ESPN could be looking to cut some former NFL Network employees as it continues to figure out how NFL Network will be integrated with ESPN long-term.

While layoffs right after the NFL Network acquisition are not a great PR move for ESPN, they’re an unfortunate reality in the aftermath of this sort of transaction. ESPN, along with other cable-based businesses, continues to navigate the realities of cord-cutting. ESPN also recently agreed to expensive new rights deals with WWE and the NBA. Disney and ESPN will also need to find what could end up being billions more dollars to keep the NFL on its airwaves in the next few years.