ESPN vs. Google
EPISODE 313: Carriage disputes.
There are some stories that seem designed for The Sporting Class.
For instance: the billion-dollar staring contest between Disney (ESPN) and Alphabet (Google) — between titans of media and tech, respectively, as both empires strive to blur those categories — that finally concluded yesterday.
Not just because John Skipper is the former president of ESPN and therefore the only podcaster alive who has navigated such carriage disputes, personally.
But also because our friend David Samson is never shy about sharing what it was like to negotiate with John Skipper… personally.
P.S. We “premiered” this episode live on YouTube on Wednesday night. We’d never done anything like that before! It was fun. I think we’ll do it again, sometime. But it also reminded me that our Founding Friends of PTFO are due something special, as our elite cadre of paid subscribers. I am working on this! But in the meantime: thank you thank you thank you for your support. It allows us to execute a series of absurd, ambitious missions that already stretch into 2026.
YOUTUBE SPOILER ALERT:
Segue,
Pablo
I am a former commercial mediator. Amid the humor and inside jokes, the viewers have been treated to a master class in complex negotiations, strategies and interests. Beyond that, I loved the conversation and especially the Samson/Skipper banter.