In what appears to be yet another example of a fragmenting, niche-oriented outdoor media landscape, sports powerhouse broadcaster ESPN announced it would soon drop all its outdoor programming (from the BassFan site):
There’d been rumblings for a few weeks that things weren’t quite right with the ESPN2 outdoor blocks, but today’s news that the ESPN network would dump all its outdoor programming at the end of this year was nonetheless a shock to the entire outdoors industry.
And with the news comes logical speculation over the future of BASS, which the network owns.
It’ll be weeks or months until the full ramifications of the news materialize, but clearly, the unstable world of outdoor media was dealt another serious blow today.
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But as the network proceeds with a core mission to focus on live and event-based broadcasting, such programming is out the window. The weekend block will now be filled by other properties, such as English Premier League soccer, NASCAR and SportsCenter, which are all either live or event-based programs.
Thus the only show in the current outdoor block that will continue to air on ESPN2 is The Bassmasters, which focuses on Elite Series events, as well as Bassmaster Classic programming.
By the Underground’s count, there are five channels in the outdoors space (not including ESPN), and presumably ESPN was making more money elsewhere.
Fly fishermen – at least the couch potato-ish among us – won’t feel a big bite. A quick glance at ESPN’s Saturday and Sunday outdoors programming reveals:
Saturday
Poveromo’s World
Fishing Adventurer
ESPN Outdoors Saltwater Series
Beat Charlie Moore
Wanna Go Fishing
World’s Greatest Fishing Show
Bassmaster Elite Series
ESPN Outdoors Saltwater Series
ESPN Outdoors Saltwater Series
Beat Charlie Moore
World’s Greatest Fishing Show
Sunday
Pirates of the Flats
Going Coastal
ESPN Outdoors Saltwater Series
Spanish Fly
World’s Greatest Fishing Show
ESPN Outdoors Saltwater Series
Bassmaster Tournament Trail
Right now, the Celebrities Pirates of the Flats TV show remains one of the only fly fishing specific titles, and frankly, I’d rather watch Premier League soccer than outdoor programming anyway.
Still, for the many “columnists” on the ESPNOutdoors.com site, the news is probably not thrilling.
So far, this is being played up as a simple refocusing on ESPN’s part, though you have to wonder if they’re not simply bailing on an increasingly polarized outdoor media situation, where politics seemingly enter into every conversation.
And not your kinder, gentler politics, but the spittle-filled kind.
Earlier this year – when a BASS writer and columnist (BASS is an ESPN property) went birther-level crazy about the end of sportfishing – ESPN was dealt a black eye when it was later forced to apologize for the story.
To a network happy to focus on stick & ball sports, fantasy leagues (and your American-as-apple-pie sex & drugs scandals), the prospect of more of the same isn’t appealing.
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I’d rather watch Premier League soccer as well (although the season is now over, come on World Cup), but Pirates of the Flats was a pretty good show. What is airing now are the re-runs. Bjorn(Quote)
It’s gotten so I have a hard time watching anyone fish – even if they’re famous. The two episodes of Pirates I saw at least delved into some of the conservation stuff and the goings-on beyond the boat…
Wonder if that was a one-off series, or if more were planned – and if so, where would it be televised? Tom Chandler(Quote)
I have the whole series on DVD. Conservation was a big part of the whole show, as it was done with the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust. I don’t think they are planning to do a second series… it was a partnership with ESPN and if ESPN isn’t in that business anymore… well… it’s the opposite of “Build it and they will come.” I think the same kind of show could be done for other species, like Permit and Tarpon, as each has BTT doing tagging programs and trying to learn more about the fish. The landscape is always changing, I guess. Bjorn(Quote)
Nature hates a vacuum, and the vacuum created this move will drive the folks who create these shows to innovate, and improve the quality of their content. Hopefully the convergence of technology (Tablets, Google TV, HTML 5 etc) will allow for us couch-potato types to produce and distribute more and better content independent of the big media conglomerates and actually start to compete with the ESPNs of the world. Podcasts revolutionized creation and distribution of audio content, blogs did the same for writing (for better of worser) brodcast quality video is not that far away.
So I say, who needs ESPN to make a fishing show anyway? OUT VILE JELLY! 3than(Quote)
I dunno. Have you watched the majority of outdoor shows on the outdoor-specific networks?
I see precious little there that challenges the media conglomerates.
In fact, it’s mostly embarrassing. It seems like more of a parade of thinly disguised infomericals than anything else. After speaking to someone who did work on a shooting-related show for a season, it’s clear the barrier doesn’t revolve around the quality of the show, but the ability to gather sponsors.
In any case, I admire your perspective, even if I think the reality of it all is proving us wrong… Tom Chandler(Quote)
Well you are right, and I guess I’m a perpetual optimist. After thinking on it a bit more, the big shows will likely have their agent go pitch the show to the next network down the street (like VS or Lifetime:-) and keep on doing exactly what they’ve been doing, just for a slightly less money. 3than(Quote)
I’m not completely without hope. After all, there are a *lot* of good-quality fly fishing videos being made (far more than the market will support), and eventually, you’d think some of them would find their way to regular broadcast channels – but do so in new, interesting ways.
Maybe. I hold out less hope for hunting shows, 90% of which seem awful. Tom Chandler(Quote)
Can’t say I’d see BASS going away as a big loss…. I do enjoy some of the documentaries that have come out like Trout Grass etc…. but I’m with you not much of a fishing on TV watcher…. of course fly fishing is such a solo sport that I guess its not too surprising….. Marty(Quote)
I couldn’t give a rat’s ass about TV , but do worry about collateral damage to Flyfisherman magazine. Not only is FFM owned by Media Outdoors (which IS the Sportsman Channel), but it appears a significant part of its advertising has been ESPN derived since MO took the helm. Ralph C(Quote)
Turned the cable off about a year ago.
Have I missed anything? Don(Quote)
No. Not really. Tom Chandler(Quote)
I’ll miss watching Zeeb an’ ol’ Elmer chuck their spoons along the banks of a muddy reservoir. Especially after a couple of blunts. Philip(Quote)