📺 The future of ESPN

PLUS: Wild Halloween spending stats. October 12, 2021 [The Hustle]( A Canadian woman was sleeping peacefully when a meteorite [crashed]( through her ceiling and landed on her pillow. The woman’s insurance company isn’t sure if the damage is covered by her policy because it’s never had such a claim before. As for the woman, she plans to keep the space rock as a reminder to never take life for granted. Today’s rundown: - Bundle drama: What’s the future for ESPN and streaming? - Boo: The big money and wild numbers behind Halloween - Big perks: Cities are offering $10k+ in cash to attract remote workers Let’s do it. The Big Idea [touchdown dance]( Disney is all-in on streaming, but ESPN can’t kick cable In the last decade, ~25m Americans have ditched the cable bundle. During that time, streaming has exploded: - Netflix has [grown]( to ~209m subscribers - Disney+ now [has]( 116m subscribers - Hulu has reached ~43m subscribers But one Disney property is still [clinging]( to the cable model: ESPN. Live sports is keeping the cable bundle alive... … and ESPN is one of the biggest holders of sports media [rights](. This gives the firm leverage when dealing with cable providers, and a massive one-two punch for revenue: - ESPN pulls in ~$10/mo per cable subscriber (compared with <$1 for most channels). In 2021, this will [amount]( to ~$7.9B, per research group Kagan. - ESPN can also charge a premium for advertising during live sports coverage, which is expected to net ~$2.35B in 2021. ESPN’s cash fuels content investments for Disney+ and Hulu Which is why the company is still cool with cable -- at least for now. Some analysts [expect]( 25m more Americans to cut the cord in the next 4-5 years, which could force ESPN to reconsider streaming. Even so, ESPN has other concerns about the streaming model, including: - Uncertainty around consumer willingness to pay for an a la carte sports bundle - Higher churn rates from subscribers that sign up for high-profile events - Password sharing among users that could stunt subscriber numbers There’s also the question of whether Gen Z will share the same interest in live sports as previous generations - but given how much Gen Z [loves]( the ’90s, ESPN could be sitting on a gold mine with old SportsCenter reruns. [Share on Facebook]( [Share on Twitter]( [Send as email to a friend](mailto:?subject=The%20Hustle%20wrote%20something%20I%20think%20you%27ll%20like...%0A&body=Disney+is+all-in+on+streaming%2C+but+ESPN+can%E2%80%99t+kick+cable%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fthehustle.co%2F10122021-Disney-ESPN%3Futm_campaign%3DTuesday%2BEmail%26utm_content%3D10122021-Disney-ESPN%26utm_medium%3Demail%26utm_source%3Ddaily%0A%0AYou%20can%20subscribe%20with%20my%20link%20here%20to%20get%20the%20latest%20in%20tech%20and%20business%20daily:%0A [View on our website]( SNIPPETS NEW! Introducing our new and improved [Snippets](. You can now get extra snippets on your favorite topics. Follow the button below to get started. (It takes less than 30 seconds!) Foot traffic is back: A recent poll [reported]( that 58% of shoppers are OK with holiday shopping in person thanks to vaccine availability. Subscriber moves: The Atlantic [announced]( plans for a newsletter offering that would allow writers to stay semi-independent. Life imitating art: William Shatner is [expected]( to be launched into space today on Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket. Google wants Twitter’s turf: Google [announced]( plans to launch a product called Big Moments, which would curate news about big events within Google Search. Join the 111,961 others who are now enjoying extra, personalized snippets. Click the button👇 to choose your favorite topics and see your list grow in tomorrow’s email. [Personalize Your Snippets]( Spooky Spending [Halloween spending infographic]( Halloween is back. Here’s how people are spending this year. The pandemic shut down most activities last year, resulting in a boo-ring Halloween. So, it’s no surprise that consumers are expected to drop a record $10.14B on the holiday this year, according to the National Retail Federation’s [annual survey](. That’s up from $8.05B in 2020. How do folks plan to celebrate in 2021? Per a [consumer survey]( from Coresight Research: - 49.5% say they’ll hand or leave out candy for trick-or-treaters - 42.5% plan to decorate their homes - ~36% plan to either attend or host a party - 34.5% plan to wear a costume - 32.1% intend to carve pumpkins or do other home activities - 25.8% will let their kids go trick-or-treating -- a 9.9-point increase from last year’s 15.9% What are the hot costumes this year? NRF [learned]( the most popular Halloween costumes for adults this year include witches (4.6m), vampires, (1.6m), and ghosts (1.4m). But NRF also conducted its survey in early September, before “Squid Game” [launched]( on Netflix and [caused]( a 7,800% sales spike for white Vans ([damn, Daniel](), a 62% uptick in searches for red boiler suits, and [millions]( of views on TikTok costume tutorials. [What’s your Halloween costume this year](? [Share on Facebook]( [Share on Twitter]( [Send as email to a friend](mailto:?subject=The%20Hustle%20wrote%20something%20I%20think%20you%27ll%20like...%0A&body=Halloween+is+back.+Here%E2%80%99s+how+people+are+spending+this+year.%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fthehustle.co%2F10122021-Halloween-spending%3Futm_campaign%3DTuesday%2BEmail%26utm_content%3D10122021-Halloween-spending%26utm_medium%3Demail%26utm_source%3Ddaily%0A%0AYou%20can%20subscribe%20with%20my%20link%20here%20to%20get%20the%20latest%20in%20tech%20and%20business%20daily:%0A [View on our website]( WFH (from anywhere) [remote worker]( US cities are putting up cash (and free coffee) to attract remote workers Fast-food chains have long doled out [perks]( to attract customers (who doesn’t want to spend $100+ on Chipotle burrito bowls to get one for free?). Now US cities are getting into the act: According to the [Wall Street Journal](, there are 24+ community incentive programs to attract remote workers. The perks on offer run the gamut Curated by a service called [MakeMyMove](, they include: - Topeka, Kansas: Up to $10k in cash - Stillwater, Oklahoma: $5k toward a home purchase + an annual $2k stipend for coffee + free martial arts classes - The Shoals, Alabama: Up to $10k reimbursement (for housing and relocation expenses) This isn’t the first time cities have offered perks to attract people. One major difference is that previous incentive schemes mostly aimed to attract corporations, not individuals. There is some friction, though - Geographical limitations (e.g., Bemidji, Minnesota, requires applicants to be at least 60 miles away) - The top dollar perks typically go to homeowners, longer stays, and higher salaries (there’s also a minimum salary requirement) - Local residents may balk at paying people to move into town Either way, remote work is here to stay. The Ladders -- a job site -- notes that remote job listings paying >$80k make up 15% of all listings, vs. 4% at the end of 2019. To really woo these workers, cities might have to start breaking out free burrito bowls. [Share on Facebook]( [Share on Twitter]( [Send as email to a friend](mailto:?subject=The%20Hustle%20wrote%20something%20I%20think%20you%27ll%20like...%0A&body=US+cities+are+putting+up+cash+%28and+free+coffee%29+to+attract+remote+workers%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fthehustle.co%2F10122021-remote-work%3Futm_campaign%3DTuesday%2BEmail%26utm_content%3D10122021-remote-work%26utm_medium%3Demail%26utm_source%3Ddaily%0A%0AYou%20can%20subscribe%20with%20my%20link%20here%20to%20get%20the%20latest%20in%20tech%20and%20business%20daily:%0A [View on our website]( AROUND THE WEB 🍻 On this day: In 1810, Prince Regent Ludwig of Bavaria and Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen were married in Munich. The festivities that followed would evolve into [Oktoberfest](. 🌋 That’s cool: Last month’s [Drone Photo Awards]( showcase some jaw-dropping images, like an erupting volcano, a [bloat]( of hippos, and a green football field hidden in an icy seascape. 🖼️ Useful: [Remove.bg]( will take out the background of your photos, perfect for when you need a new profile pic without showing off your home decor, too. 📛 How to: Are you bad with names? Here are some [tips]( to help remember them. 🌀 That’s interesting: The [Saildrone]( is a remote-controlled vessel that can withstand a hurricane, gathering images and data from inside for scientific research. 🎃 Haha: The Bostwick family knows how to do Halloween right with elaborate synchronized light shows. Here’s [one]( set to Rob Zombie’s “Dragula.” Meme of the day To be fair, LeBron is pretty great... (Source: [Pinterest]() SHARE THE HUSTLE [Hustle Cons Greatest Hits ebook]( Over the years, we’ve learned… secrets. The business secrets, tips, and tricks that have helped founders go from zero to millions -- and even billions -- of dollars. Want to see ‘em? Just refer 3 more friends to The Hustle and we’ll send you our curated set of interviews with founders from brands like Zola, AWAY, Vungle, Bonobos, and more. Here’s a message you can use to share with your friends: Hey! Do you read The Hustle? It’s the best daily business newsletter out there -- only takes 5 minutes to read and you’ll sound like the smartest person in the room. Sign up here, it’s free: [ P.S. You can always check your referral count [here](. [Share The Hustle →]( How did you like today’s email? Today's email was brought to you by [Trung Phan](, [Jacob Cohen](, [Juliet Bennett Rylah](, [Rob Litterst](, [Sara Cravatts](. Editing by: Zachary “Cordcutter” Crockett. [PODCAST]( [JOBS]( [CONTACT US](mailto:news@thehustle.co) [Facebook]( [Youtube]( [Instagram]( [Trends]( 25 FIRST ST. 2ND FLOOR, CAMBRIDGE, MA 02141, UNITED STATES  +1 888 482 7768 Never want to hear from us again? Break our hearts and [unsubscribe](list=thehustle). [The Hustle](