In its "battle for sports-site primacy, ESPN.com and
CBS SportsLine tout their differences. And one of the
biggest is whether to ask visitors to pay for content,"
according to David Sweet of the WALL STREET JOURNAL.
ESPN.com charges for some content, including items by its
top columnists and audio feeds. ESPN Internet Ventures
Senior VP/Programming & Production Geoff Reiss said that
revenue from ESPN Insider at $39.95 per year has "remained
steady." SportsLine "disbanded" its pay model in July and
opted instead for a two models of a rewards program.
SportsLine VP/Marketing Larry Kruguer said that about
500,000 Web users have signed up for the free rewards
program, while 30,000 have paid $39.95 a year for a more
comprehensive program. CNNSI.com did charge for some
fantasy football content, "but chose to cut the service."
CNNSI.com Managing Editor Steve Robinson: "Our philosophy is
we want to keep as much free as long as we can." Sweet:
"Are sports-news and team sites missing the boat? In an
industry devoted to passionate feelings and intense loyalty,
paying a few extra dollars for special content seems to be
an easy sell" (WALL ST JOURNAL, 11/17). See (#20).
FWIW: U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT reviews online sports
sites and writes that SportsLine.com has "easy navigation."
Sportsline.com "doesn't have as much original content as
some other sites [but] it doesn't overwhelm visitors with
excess information." ESPN.com was labeled the "ultimate in
sports news" on the Internet because of its "original
content" (U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT, 11/15 issue).
