Former ESPN and NFL exec Steve Bornstein is playing in a new space these days -- e-sports -- and he sat down to discuss his role with game developer Activision Blizzard, as well as other media industry topics, during a featured interview at the ’16 NeuLion Sports Media & Technology Conference. Bornstein said the sports TV industry is facing “not so much challenge as transition.” He said ESPN is “slightly less relevant” to sports fans than it was five or 10 years ago, because there are “other opportunities” out there. But he added that Disney/ESPN’s recent investment in BAM Tech “says a lot about the direction they plan on going,” while also praising ESPN Exec VP/Digital & Print Media John Kosner for successfully running the digital side of the business. Bornstein also said that it is too early to pass judgment on the NFL’s low ratings to start the ’16 season. Bornstein noted that while linear media consumption by millennials was down, overall media consumption by that demo is rising. Bornstein: “What platforms you use is going to be meaningful.”
GAME ON: Bornstein said he is getting into e-sports because he is “playing Gretzky and skating to where the puck is,” meaning this digital space is where millennials are going. Bornstein: “If there’s one sport that can maybe challenge soccer on a global scale, it’s e-sports.” He noted that e-sports has grown almost completely organically to this point and has had very little “professional protocol or professional content.” Bornstein said the work he is doing with Activision Blizzard and its Major League Gaming division is aimed at “introducing leagues that will hopefully be competitive worldwide.” He predicted that '20 will be when e-sports, overall, will start having a major impact on the media consumption landscape in the U.S.
QUICK HITS:
* On the future of cable: “When the terrestrial AM goes away, that’s when the bundle goes away. The horizon line for that is another 50 years.”
* On the state of e-sports: “It’s kind of like cable in 1980. It’s the wild, wild West.”
* On YouTube being a custodian of content: “I’d never trust YouTube. Ever. They’re not anyone’s friend. … Nobody makes money on YouTube.”
