Live Sports No Longer TV’s Holy Grail in U.S. as Ratings Peak
- Sports network ESPN lost 3 millions susbribers in past year
- TV ratings `flatlining across all sports:' Barclays analyst
Trent Richardson #33 of the Oakland Raiders is tackled by Gabe Martin #50 of the Arizona Cardinals at O.co Coliseum on August 30, 2015 in Oakland, California.
Photographer: Ezra Shaw/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Sports broadcasts -- long viewed by the entertainment industry as a way to lure viewers and ad dollars -- are losing some luster.
American media companies including Walt Disney Inc., Time Warner Inc. and 21st Century Fox could see their profits shrink due to the surging cost of broadcasting professional sports at a time when subscriber numbers are falling and viewership is hitting a plateau.