Long-Term Planning

I came across this quote in an article by the ESPN ombudsman, talking about a new program called E:60 that debuted a month earlier.

“So how committed is ESPN to giving E:60 a long run?

"I can guarantee you it is coming back, and my intention is to get it to a weekly show as soon as possible," said John Skipper, ESPN executive vice president of content. "We have trouble finding a consistent window year-round, but if we can refine this a little bit, I think it is a great showcase for some of our reportorial talent, and I like having another signature journalism show along with Outside the Lines. So we are completely committed to it."

What if ratings don't measure up?

"The measure of the show, certainly for a couple of years," Skipper said, "is going to be quality, not the ratings."

While the specific reasoning from ESPN doesn’t apply to eSports, the overall message is one we should pay attention to: sometimes quality comes before the bottom line.

Or, in other words, it’s not all about the short-term. CGS detractors point to low ratings as a sign the league will be cancelled within a year or two. But what if they already planned for low ratings? What if they knew that getting into eSports, and bringing it to television, was a long-term project?

It makes sense when you think about it. Considering the size (read: cost) of the league, you know they did their homework. Even a huge company like DirecTV can’t afford to throw away money on every hare-brained scheme that comes onto their radar.

I find it much more likely they’re in a situation similar to ESPN with E:60, placing a higher value on the quality of the league, and acceptance/support from within the gaming community, than the cold, hard, ratings number of an obscure channel. That doesn’t mean they’re not concerned with ratings at all, but I think they’re aware they’re getting in on the ground floor – a place with a lot of potential, and not many results.

Long-term planning. What a concept.