Nov 29, 2017

Another round of ESPN layoffs cuts 150 jobs

Screengrab of Sportscenter host Scott Van Pelt with Dan Patrick via YouTube

ESPN announced another round of layoffs in an email to employees today, Yahoo reports. The network will cut 150 people, none of whom are on-air staff, in a continued effort to rebuild the network around digital.

Why it matters: ESPN is facing what many other cable networks are struggling with: waning subscriptions, higher production costs and stagnant ad revenues. As the network continues to migrate to digital, it will need to move resources and jobs to better address the new media landscape.

Wednesday's announcement is the latest in a series of major cuts at the network. ESPN slashed 300 jobs in 2015 and another 100 this April. In the memo to employees, ESPN president John Skipper said the cuts are about redirecting resources.

Parent company Disney is in a state of flux after it reportedly offered to buy 21st Century Fox's entertainment assets as cable network revenues continue to sink due to cord cutting. And ESPN's digital future is hazy as it will be forced to battle tech giants for digital broadcast rights. It still hasn't gotten the rights to show NFL highlights for its Snapchat show.

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U.S. coronavirus updates

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins; Map: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios. This graphic includes "probable deaths" that New York City began reporting on April 14.

House Democrats asked Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue for more information Thursday on how the agency chose which companies to award $1.2 billion in food assistance contracts.

By the numbers: More than 98,400 people have died from COVID-19 and over 1.6 million have tested positive in the U.S. Over 379,100 Americans have recovered and more than 14.6 million tests have been conducted.

Go deeper (2 min. read)ArrowUpdated 15 mins ago - Health

Pentagon watchdog sidelined by Trump resigns

Fine testiying before the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2017. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Glenn Fine, the Pentagon's principal deputy inspector general, submitted his resignation on Tuesday.

Why it matters: President Trump removed Fine as the Pentagon's acting inspector general in April 7 after a group of independent federal watchdogs selected him to lead the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, which was set up to oversee the rollout of the $2 trillion coronavirus relief bill.

Go deeper (1 min. read)ArrowUpdated 18 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 2:30 p.m. ET: 5,547,523 — Total deaths: 348,040 — Total recoveries — 2,269,422 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 2:30 p.m. ET: 1,671,728 — Total deaths: 98,493 — Total recoveries: 379,157 — Total tested: 14,604,942 — Map.
  3. Trump administration: Mike Pence's press secretary returns to work.
  4. States: New York reports lowest number of new coronavirus deaths since March.
  5. Public health: The final data for remdesivir is in, and its benefits are rather limited.
  6. Space: How to virtually watch SpaceX's historic crewed launch.
  7. What should I do? Hydroxychloroquine questions answered — Traveling, asthma, dishes, disinfectants and being contagious — Masks, lending books and self-isolating — Exercise, laundry, what counts as soap — Pets, moving and personal health — Answers about the virus from Axios experts — What to know about social distancing — How to minimize your risk.
  8. Other resources: CDC on how to avoid the virus, what to do if you get it, the right mask to wear.

Subscribe to Mike Allen's Axios AM to follow our coronavirus coverage each morning from your inbox.

Updated 25 mins ago - Politics & Policy