News Round Up 2016

[Keels]

you wouldn't own all the content. but espn could offer streaming service for sports. funny that they are losing subscribers but that means that the millenials aren't that into sports since espn has baseball basketball and of course football including college bowl games, the playoffs and championship game. the only thing they haven't had was the superbowl.

They can't offer streaming presentations of sporting events they don't have the rights to. Personally, as a partial cord-cutter (we have satellite here in Texas but not in our house in Florida), I'm not going to pay a single dime to ESPN for their coverage of sports or original programming (including "30 for 30", which I think is the only decent original program they do). I pay for direct coverage from the league's themselves (MLB, NBA and NFL). If I'm watching analysis of sports, I'm watching intelligent analysis by people I view to be as experts in their field - not a bunch of talking heads that just want to scream hyperbole at each other or just throw ridiculous crap against the wall to see what they can drive as clickbait on their website.

ESPN is like the second-highest channel offering for satellite/cable carriers - almost as much as HBO, etc., short of being a premium channel.

If Disney is worried about ESPN just burning piles of cash and losing cord-cutters, they need to look at WHY cord-cutters aren't sticking with the online product they offer - and it goes across the board, from their high-priced "talent" to their exclusive sports contracts to platform. In my opinion - it's not just one rotten egg (cord-cutting) that's killing ESPN, it's a dozen rotten eggs.

 

[OhioStateBuckeye]

I just recently cut cable. I like to watch hockey, but those games were never on ESPN. I do miss a few Ohio State games, but luckily they are popular enough that ABC gets a lot of their games in Texas. I can do without Monday night NFL football.

Really the only channels I ever watched were the Disney channel, AMC and then I'd just flip through and watch stuff because it was on. After we got rid of cable we haven't really missed it. Walking Dead was getting kind of stale so I don't miss AMC all that much. We have netflix and amazon prime.

 

[rteetz]

ESPN owns the broadcast rights for the SEC, so they push the teams.

They don't really push anyone except Alabama and everyone pushes them because they are #1. Personally I just expect that so it doesn't bother me.

 

[Keels]

They don't really push anyone except Alabama and everyone pushes them because they are #1. Personally I just expect that so it doesn't bother me.

They're a little SEC/Notre Dame heavy for my liking. I'll occasionally put on College GameDay as background noise if they're somewhere that I'm interested in, but I usually have to tap out after 45-60 minutes (even at background noise level) because I just don't care enough about whatever agenda they're pushing.

I don't even bother with ESPN News anymore because I can get better "Breaking News" updated via apps and Twitter. I can't tell you the last time I even clicked on the website.

Honestly, they're very much like newspapers - they thought they would always make it because "people have to get the news!". But they didn't evolve with the times - something that was incredibly unique when it was launched ended up paving the way for other mediums to ultimately kill it. ESPN just never really tried to do anything other than think it would survive because it's ESPN.

 

[rteetz]

They're a little SEC/Notre Dame heavy for my liking. I'll occasionally put on College GameDay as background noise if they're somewhere that I'm interested in, but I usually have to tap out after 45-60 minutes (even at background noise level) because I just don't care enough about whatever agenda they're pushing.

I don't even bother with ESPN News anymore because I can get better "Breaking News" updated via apps and Twitter. I can't tell you the last time I even clicked on the website.

Honestly, they're very much like newspapers - they thought they would always make it because "people have to get the news!". But they didn't evolve with the times - something that was incredibly unique when it was launched ended up paving the way for other mediums to ultimately kill it. ESPN just never really tried to do anything other than think it would survive because it's ESPN.

Being a Big Ten fan specifically Wisconsin I thought college gameday did good this year. They featured the Badgers twice both games which I was at (one working and one seeing the game).

Notre Dame was awful this year so they weren't as heavily featured.

I agree that I don't bother with ESPN news either. Personally I like ESPN's college stuff for the most part. I am not an NBA fan so that's where I'll turn it off.

 

[rteetz]

News

Shanghai's first Christmas

https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/b...irst-holiday-season-at-shanghai-disneyresort/

 

[Keels]

I agree that I don't bother with ESPN news either. Personally I like ESPN's college stuff for the most part. I am not an NBA fan so that's where I'll turn it off.

Oh, trust me, you're not alone in the NBA thing.

 

[soniam]

I can't wait to hit this next summer. I hope they allow tasty beverages in the lazy river, because nothing beats floating in a tube with an icy cold adult beverage I can see where the "cave" is for the lazy river. I know they pretty have to be done on time, since they have sold tickets, but it looks like there's a lot left to do. Maybe I am comparing it with Disney's snail pace construction; I never saw the progress on WWHP.

So does anyone think AK fast passes are going to go tiered when Pandora opens?

Unfortunately, yes However, I am kind of hoping for the best, no tiers, but expecting the worst. It was so nice to not have tiering there, because it meant that you didn't have to hit the park at rope drop to get most of the headliners.

 

[Tigger's ally]

I can't wait to hit this next summer. I hope they allow tasty beverages in the lazy river, because nothing beats floating in a tube with an icy cold adult beverage I can see where the "cave" is for the lazy river. I know they pretty have to be done on time, since they have sold tickets, but it looks like there's a lot left to do. Maybe I am comparing it with Disney's snail pace construction; I never saw the progress on WWHP.



Unfortunately, yes However, I am kind of hoping for the best, no tiers, but expecting the worst. It was so nice to not have tiering there, because it meant that you didn't have to hit the park at rope drop to get most of the headliners.

I don't know. If they tier them, I don't see many picking the short boat ride over the E-ticket thrill ride. But, if they do, at least the park has several "other" rides in the other tiers. Epcot just doesn't have any other rides that people want to select (especially those that aren't into the whole Frozen thing) With Everest, dinosaur, Kali, tough to be a bug, festival of the lion king, ROL, flights of wonder and the Safari, there are some good choices.

 

[soniam]

I don't know. If they tier them, I don't see many picking the short boat ride over the E-ticket thrill ride. But, if they do, at least the park has several "other" rides in the other tiers. Epcot just doesn't have any other rides that people want to select (especially those that aren't into the whole Frozen thing) With Everest, dinosaur, Kali, tough to be a bug, festival of the lion king, ROL, flights of wonder and the Safari, there are some good choices.

I can easily see people picking the boat ride over the other e-tickets, especially early on and at least once. Plus, you can always rope drop one and FP+ the other. I hope they don't do the tiers, but I see it coming I know people who gave up Soarin' or TT at Epcot to ride Frozen, and they weren't huge Frozen fans or had kids, but it was the new thing. We rope dropped it, because I couldn't miss my Soarin'. TT, I could take or leave it though.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Any word if the Flight ride in Pandora will have single rider? If so I could see people picking to get the FP for the boat ride

 

[rteetz]

Any word if the Flight ride in Pandora will have single rider? If so I could see people picking to get the FP for the boat ride

I think it's too early to say if it will have single rider or not.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Oh, trust me, you're not alone in the NBA thing.

We don't have an NBA team here so I'm sure that's part of it but as for basketball it's college and specifically around me KU and to a lesser extent K-State..used to be KU and Mizzou before Mizzou joined the SEC.

 

[rteetz]

We don't have an NBA team here so I'm sure that's part of it but as for basketball it's college and specifically around me KU and to a lesser extent K-State..used to be KU and Mizzou before Mizzou joined the SEC.

We have the Bucks and I still don't care. I even work at the place where the Bucks play.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

We have the Bucks and I still don't care. I even work at the place where the Bucks play.

Even if they got an NBA team here I'm not sure we would care either. We have plenty of other teams to pique our interests.

 

[Travis B]

LOL, I'm not saying your opinion is invalid or even wrong, I'm just adding my own.

I think the main difference in our POV is I don't think this "new" land will be quite so "new". I think it will be new in the same was The Force Awakens was new. Sure, it had some new people and locations, but it was all extremely familiar at the same time. We already know it will have the Millennium Falcon. We also know it will have a cantina of sorts. By making a "new" one, rather than the Tattooine one, it gives them the freedom to take the best of the known one and mix it around anyway they see fit. To me, it seems more difficult to actually build the known Cantina - just as it would be more difficult to build Diagon Alley versus a generic alley full of wizarding supplies that is simply based on Diagon Alley.

This whole notion of a whole new land with a whole new backstory is exciting, until you consider everything Star Wars so far has been firmly rooted in it's nostalgia. Force Awakens was just a bit too similar feeling to sit well with me. It's by no means a bad movie... I just felt like I had seen it already. And Rogue One will be a fun 2 hours, but I'm not sure if that's because I get to see some old faces or because of the new ones. Even if it's a bit of both, Darth Vadar is front and center in those commercials/trailers. They are banking on that "known" factor.

So it seems reasonable to think they will do the same with the land.

Could it be a totally unique place that fits snuggly within Star Wars cannon? I suppose. Knowing what we know about how Disney has treated that IP so far and the risks they would be willing to taske with something this big, is it likely? No way.

I can see where you're coming from - I agree with your feelings on Force Awakens. My hope is that they started with the nostalgia to create a firm foundation for the series and will branch out a little bit as the new movies come out. If we're lucky the land will be a happy medium of unique with touches of nostalgia (i.e. the Millennium Falcon). My only real hope is that whatever they do, they do it 100%.

 

[mikepizzo]

It's not JUST getting rid of cable entirely - some companies are letting people "trade down" to packages without sport tiers - I did it in a heartbeat b/c $50/month savings is $50/month savings. I have not missed ESPN at all, except when MNF has my favorite team (and I could head to the sports bar if I wasn't lazy to watch it). I had stopped watching everything else b/c I hate talk tv and the NBA was always my 4th favorite of the big 4 sports...

Not sure what your cell provider is, but if you have Verizon you get the NFL Mobile app for free. You can watch the Monday night games on there.

 

[rteetz]

News

Another date sold out for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party

 

[rteetz]

News

New Internal Shuttle Now Available at Port Orleans Resort

 

[rteetz]

News

Temporary Attraction Hour Changes at Animal Kingdom