Originally Posted by VisionMan1:
“2 - What do you think low profile content on BT non main channel is going to get?
Thats a very interesting question. And I note you keep comparing BT Sport's future numbers with those of ESPN. But BT is not any of the previous incumbents before it. Plus it will have many more ways and means of distributing its new channels far and wide. IPTV, DTT, the red button, BT Vision and, far more importantly, YouView. So, for the reasons given above, the numbers they may gain actually cannot be estimated.”
I appreciate that but I think it's a reasonable comparison to make, at least in the early days.
The average person is interested in availability, content and price.
ESPN is available to just about everyone in the country through DTT (as well as through Sky / VM). So if anyone wants it, availability is not a problem - it's available.
I understand that BT will have other delivery platforms which will encourage uptake but availability isn't a constraint for ESPN.
Of course BT may make it available "free" to BT Vision subscribers (or nearly "free" or whatever) but initially that's still only approx 800,000 subs, some of whom are getting ESPN at the moment.
If they lose the 1.8m VM "automatic" homes then BT Sport is inevitably going to be in far, far fewer homes than ESPN is today, at least initially. The BT Vision subscriber base would have to roughly treble just to get back to the number of homes currently with ESPN (assuming all BT Vision homes get BT Sport) - and that also assumes no reduction in homes on Sky platform which may occur without Sky as retailer.
In terms of content of course there will be significant differences between BT Sport and ESPN but the overall content offer isn't wildly different. I suspect most members of the public (who don't follow these matters in intricate detail unlike posters on here) won't perceive a massive difference.
Anyway, my previous post wasn't actually about overall BT Sport subscriber numbers but about how many viewers specific BT Sport content would get if it isn't on "main" channels.