ESPN Thinks The Cratering First Take Will Save The Network
ESPN will move “First Take” from ESPN2 to ESPN, a move that ESPN execs believe will increase viewership for the nearly 10-year-old franchise. The move to ESPN’s 10:00am-12:00pm ET timeslot starts Jan. 3. Two hours of “SportsCenter” will replace “First Take” on ESPN2 — the Hannah Storm interview show “SportsCenter Face to Face” and the David Lloyd-Cari Champion-hosted “SportsCenter Coast to Coast.” “First Take” has struggled with viewers since Skip Bayless left the show in the summer and was replaced by Max Kellerman. Since Labor Day, when Bayless launched the competing show “Undisputed” on FS1, “First Take” viewership is down 33% compared to the previous year, according to the website SportsTVRatings.com.
This is so fucking stupid and another example of how sports networks embracing debate is actually driving viewers away. People don’t want guys in suits yelling their loud opinions at them. Social media has torn down walls between the so-called experts and viewers. The stagecraft that was required when the only way to deliver news, share opinions and entertain was through highly produced TV shows no longer applies. Sports networks, including CSN, think highlights are dead and are turning to debate, but that’s not the answer. Moving First Take to ESPN will neither save ESPN nor build up First Take, partly because the latter is so disingenuous and contrived. The reason why the NBA on TNT is so good is because, despite the suits, a genuine conversation takes place. It’s not overproduced and, thus, you get real opinions from personalities people actually like. We’re able to spot phoniness and that breeds a huge disconnect between talking heads and viewers. It’s the same principle that allowed someone like Donald Trump to rise. Whether sports or politics, we no longer value the faux expert who thinks they know more than us. Like this:
https://twitter.com/fivefifths/status/797059872126865412
I know I’m mixing sports and polictics here, but the same cable news groupthink that completely neglected, like, half of the population is what drives the suits at ESPN and CSN to produce more DEBATE.