Quote:
Originally Posted by Frenbar
It seems clear that ESPN should stick with its edited highlight shows for casual ESPN audience
I don't think it's as clear as you think. There is a real premium put on live content these days because it's one of the few things on TV that people will actually sit through ads for. It's the reason WWE was able to sign with Fox (and WWE's stock price which hovered below $20 for the better part of 2 decades, quadrupled) and the reason ESPN is paying $1.5 billion over 5 years for the UFC (and UFC's value keeps going up despite terrible ownership/management).
I'm of the opinion that the prerecorded show is way better than the live show but from a business standpoint live is the way to go, even for a casual audience. Also, with social media these days if you don't broadcast live the results become spoiled even for a larger casual audience. This is an issue for the World's Strongest Man competition this year. The shows were prerecorded but everyone already knows who won.