ESPN Slips as Social Media Feeds Fans Clips

摘要

When Ultimate Fighting Championship star Ronda Rousey was viciously knocked out by Holly Holm in a bout in November, the clip seemed like the perfect highlight to feature on ESPN's SportsCenter. Yet by the time the program showed footage, many fans had already followed the fight live on Twitter and seen the clip on Reddit. That's a challenge for ESPN and SportsCenter, the flagship show introduced to pay-TV audiences 35 years ago. ESPN is the dominant sports outlet on TV and the Web, especially for live-sports telecasts, and the single biggest profit contributor to parent Walt Disney. But competition from social media and other channels is eating into its audience for news and highlights, SportsCenter's bread and butter.