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As cable TV continues to crumble, employees live in constant fear of more job cuts
A view of the NBA on TNT logo on a broadcast camera prior to the start of the third quarter of an NBA game.
(
David Berding
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Getty Images
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Topline:
Working in cable TV used to feel exciting, disruptive, and with the vibe of a startup. But these days, linear cable is more akin to being a horse-and-buggy provider after the advent of the car. Those still employed there are “terrified every day of losing their jobs.”
Why it matters: The death of cable has been long talked about, but those inside the dying networks must deal with the reality of that condition, if they’re even still employed. Recent layoffs, including 140 employees at Disney-owned networks, have stripped these companies to the bone and left the ones still there worried about how secure their jobs are.
From growth to managed decline: Working in cable used to mean building a brand with an arsenal of distinctive shows. The significant decline in investing in new programming in favor of maximizing revenue with minimal investment has further negatively affected morale.
The NBA-TNT fiasco: Perhaps most talked about in the world of cable recently has been the NBA media rights deal — and Warner Bros. Discovery’s exclusion from it. With live sports, one of the last bastions for many cable networks to draw a meaningful audience, now also migrating to streaming services such as Peacock and Amazon Prime Video, that reality has those who work at TNT, which has aired the NBA for four decades, worried about what their professional future holds.
For more... read the full story on The Ankler.
This story is published in partnership with The Ankler, a paid subscription publication about the entertainment industry.
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