NBCU Shutting Down Esquire Cable Network

[crackedscreen]

NBCUniversal will shutter Esquire Network’s linear cable channel and relaunch the brand as a digital-only platform, Variety has learned. The decision to end the cable channel’s operation was spurred by recent negotiations with Charter Communications and Verizon over carriage-contract renewals.

Esquire Network was dropped last month from AT&T’s DirecTV and U-Verse services. That move resulted in a loss of 25% of the channel’s subscribers — down from 60 million to 45 million. If Esquire Network were to be dropped by Charter and Verizon, it would have lost an additional 15 million subscribers, making it no longer viable for Comcast-owned NBCUniversal to continue to operate.

Esquire Network will continue its cable feed through the summer. The channel employs around 50 staffers. Roughly 30 of those employees will likely be downsized, with the remainder kept on to service the brand’s new digital play.

http://variety.com/2017/tv/news/esquire-network-1201962261/

 

[mvcg66b3r]

Esquire Network To End Linear Service & Become Digital-Only Brand Following Carriage

Death by a skinny bundle. The men-focused Esquire Network, a partnership between NBCUniversal and Hearst Magazines, will no longer be a linear TV network. The digital-only brand will still feature original programming, including new series Borderland USA (working title) and Edgehill, which will now launch in the spring on the direct-to-consumer product Esquire.com.

The move follows AT&T DirecTV and U-Verse’s decision in December to drop Esquire, which lost 15 million subscribers to go down to 45 million homes. Additionally, NBCUniversal has been in difficult carriage negotiations with Charter Spectrum, which also has been likely to drop Esquire, bringing the network’s distribution down another 15 million homes to 30 million.

The switch to digital will have an impact on the network’s workforce, with layoffs expected. The employees will be getting more information on the future of the network and their own future starting today and tomorrow.

https://deadline.com/2017/01/esquire-network-end-linear-digital-only-carriage-loss-1201889015/

 

[Will_H_69_9]

we have a Pay TV section now, this section just covers the national OTA TV topics, for cable TV networks like this one, go there.

plus we need to either move this and merge it with the tread about it on that section or delete it all together.

 

[TheBigA]

I don't think they actually create any original content themselves. That's becoming more of an issue for cable channels today. If you're just a branded location, that's not enough to warrant actual channel space on a cable box. Because there are so many channels creating original content.

 

[Y2kTheNewOldies]

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/pondering-future-niche-cable-networks/

An editorial from Media life over cable niche channels

‘American Ninja Warrior’ is Esquire’s signature show.
Esquire Network’s future had been looking iffy after AT&T siblings DirecTV and U-verse decided to drop the low-rated men’s cable network last year.

On Wednesday, owner NBCUniversal made it official. It’s shutting down the cable channel, which had fallen to just 45 million subscribers, though it will continue to offer a digital version of Esquire Network.

And this probably won’t be the last niche cable network to shutter. At a time when cable carriage negotiations are becoming more barbed and cord cutting has led to an increase in skinny bundles, small cable channels face an uncertain future.

Esquire is a prime example. Launched in 2013 as a replacement for Style Network, it aimed to draw the same young male demographic reading Esquire magazine, whose owner, Hearst, partnered with NBCU on the channel.

But young men don’t watch much television. And despite airing “American Ninja Warrior,” Esquire never developed much of a following, averaging just 55,000 adults 18-49 in primetime last year, according to Nielsen, and ranking 72nd of 104 networks.

That made it a difficult sell for NBCU. Cable and satellite carriers pay a per-subscriber fee to carry networks, and it’s not worth picking up channels if people don’t want to watch them.

These carriers have become even pickier with the rise of cord cutting. They’re trying to keep people by offering so-called skinny bundles, which have just the small swatch of top networks that appeal to the most people, such as top channels like ESPN and TNT.

They argue no one will miss a network like Esquire, which is bumped to upper-tier packages that cost more money.

Of course, big companies like NBCU can use their leverage as owner of in-demand networks like USA and Bravo to insist on carriage for smaller ones like Esquire, but that strategy has long rubbed cable and satellite carriers the wrong way.

With viewing patterns changing so quickly, they’re no longer interested in offering the biggest channel selection. And that will be reflected as more niche cable networks shut down.

***

In cable ratings for the week ended Jan. 15:

Top five networks in primetime (18-49s): ESPN, TBS, USA, FX, Discovery Channel.

Top five networks in primetime (total viewers): ESPN, Fox News Channel, HGTV, USA, TBS.

Top five total-day networks (total viewers): Fox News Channel, ESPN, Nickelodeon, HGTV, Disney Channel.

Top cable news networks in primetime (total viewers): Fox News Channel, CNN, MSNBC, HLN, CNBC, FBN.

Top cable news programs (total viewers): 1. Fox News Channel’s “The O’Reilly Factor” (Thursday, 8 p.m.); 2. Fox News Channel’s “The O’Reilly Factor” (Tuesday, 8 p.m.); 3. CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360” (Tuesday, 9 p.m.); 4. CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360” (Tuesday, 10 p.m.); 5. Fox News Channel’s “Tucker Carlson Tonight” (Wednesday, 9 p.m.)

Top movie (total viewers): Hallmark Channel’s “A Royal Winter,” (Saturday, 9 p.m.) 2.69 million.

Top sporting event (total viewers): ESPN’s “CFP Championship” (Monday, 8:19 p.m.) 24.42 million.

Show on the rise: CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360,” Tuesday, 9 p.m. On the night of President Obama’s farewell address, the 9 p.m. hour of “AC360” averaged 3.75 million total viewers, more than five times the 710,000 it averaged in the same hour the previous week.

Show on the decline: OWN’s “The Haves and the Have Nots,” Tuesday, 9 p.m. The drama averaged 2.16 million total viewers, off 28 percent from the previous week’s 2.99 million.

 

[TheBigA]

I think that article sums it up well. I watched Esquire a couple times, and saw a few shows featuring a couple guys taking Uber to various pubs in destination towns. The kind of thing the Travel Channel does. Nothing that really inspired repeat viewing, so I never went back.

 

[mvcg66b3r]

I wonder if Cloo and/or Chiller would be the next to go.

 

[anotherguyTN]

I take it that the movies and network reruns that were on Esquire won't carry over to the web.

The only time I can remember watching them was when they had a marathon of the James Bond movies with Roger Moore earlier in the Fall, and that was only spotty.

 

[Megatron]

Charter & NBC have a long term deal. Not surprise that Esquire will be dropped mainly watched it for Team Ninja Warrior, I watched The Agents that was pretty good show but that only lasted for only a season. I wouldn't be surprise if Chiller & Cloo go as well.

 

[NoDakObserver]

I watched Esquire a few years ago, recording and watching shows like Six Million Dollar Man, Airwolf, and Incredible Hulk as they cycled through those shows during the day.
Airwolf and Incredible Hulk are on Netflix, but Six Million Dollar Man is not always available elsewhere, so that was nice to be able to watch as an adult. I hadn't seen any of that show since the 80s when I was a kid.

 

[mapman1071]

I watched Esquire a few years ago, recording and watching shows like Six Million Dollar Man, Airwolf, and Incredible Hulk as they cycled through those shows during the day.
Airwolf and Incredible Hulk are on Netflix, but Six Million Dollar Man is not always available elsewhere, so that was nice to be able to watch as an adult. I hadn't seen any of that show since the 80s when I was a kid.

Six Million Dollar Man is on Cozi TV (Subnet)
Airwolf is on EL Ray (Cable/Digital Cable/Sat)
Incredible Hulk is on Me-TV (Subnet)

 

[itsTheRolyPoly]

Esquire's not the only one...

NBCU is also shutting down Cloo. That one will go off air February 17th.

 

[Megatron]

Esquire taken off Charter Spectrum yesterday along with Chiller as well Esquire shutting down on June 1ST.

 

[anotherguyTN]

Esquire and Chiller are now both off on Charter cable in Jackson, TN as well. I really don't see the point of taking them off before their official shutdown if they don't have anything to replace them yet, although I never watched either one of them much.

 

[CTListener]

Esquire and Chiller are now both off on Charter cable in Jackson, TN as well. I really don't see the point of taking them off before their official shutdown if they don't have anything to replace them yet, although I never watched either one of them much.

Contract must have expired at the end of April. It would be hard to justify to the Charter beancounters paying for one month of a channel whose owners want to kill off.

 

[mvcg66b3r]

Esquire's not the only one...

According to Comcast's website, Universal HD is ceasing operations in July:

https://www.xfinity.com/support/cable-tv/xfinity-programming-contract-renewals-channel-list/
(scroll down toward bottom of page)

During the month of July 2017 the following contracts may expire:

* CTI Zhong Tian
* Esquire Network (Network ceasing operations on July 1, 2017)
* SIC International
* Universal HD (Network ceasing operations on July 15, 2017)

 

[CTListener]

According to Comcast's website, Universal HD is ceasing operations in July:

https://www.xfinity.com/support/cable-tv/xfinity-programming-contract-renewals-channel-list/
(scroll down toward bottom of page)

Another attempt to build a channel -- at least partially -- around non-traditional sports, another failure. Most were the same who-cares events that Universal Sports used to run for weeks on end. So, how are plans for that Olympic sports channel coming along?

 

[Megatron]

Saw a promo to the Olympic channel on NBC during Track & Field coverage.

 

[DXingRadio]

Only show I ever watched on the channel was Brew Dogs, which as a fan of brewing was good for what it was.

 

[Megatron]

The Olympic Channel will be in 35 Million homes, Comcast, Charter Spectrum, AT&T/Direct TV, Verizon, Dish Network, Cable company formerly known as Cablevision that was what I found from B&C.